LOVING LIKE YOUR FATHER LOVES (2 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48
This content is part of a series.
Loving Like Your Father Loves (2 of 4)
Series: Living Like Jesus
Jeff Strite
Matthew 5:43-48
OPENING:
There once were 2 cats from Kilkenny
Each thought there was one cat too many
They fought and they spit,
They clawed and they bit.
Till instead of two cats … there weren't any.
APPLY: Hatred is an interesting topic.
As Christians, we are taught that hatred is not a good thing. We are NOT to hate.
But in the days of Jesus one of the common sayings of the day was ''Hate those who hate you.''
In fact, they could point to what seemed to be a Biblical foundation to that concept:
Ps 139:21-22 says ''Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.''
In addition… there seems to be some logical reasons to hate others.
ILLUS: In the April 2010 edition of Readers Digest, a man named Bob Brody wrote this:
''I've discovered that nothing feels quite as satisfying as a grudge well nursed. I had a boss who took a dislike to me from my first day on the job, even though she'd hired me. There were no complaints about my performance, but I later learned she'd lied to co-workers about me. Without explana¬tion, she laid me off after only ten weeks, just before Thanksgiving. I had a family to support.
Was I to forgive her? Should I now? Give me one good reason.
My grudge against her, balanced out that injustice, somehow righted the universe.
It has kept me warm on many a cold night.
A long-standing grudge suggests that we hold certain standards, that we respect ourselves enough to reject bad behavior. Failure to for¬give can be just as righteous, just as honorable, as forgiveness itself.''
So, there are people who feel justified in hating their enemies/ in refusing to forgive because:
• It shows they have ''standards''
• It shows they respect themselves
• It shows they refuse to accept ''bad behavior''
They believe that hating their enemies makes t ...
Series: Living Like Jesus
Jeff Strite
Matthew 5:43-48
OPENING:
There once were 2 cats from Kilkenny
Each thought there was one cat too many
They fought and they spit,
They clawed and they bit.
Till instead of two cats … there weren't any.
APPLY: Hatred is an interesting topic.
As Christians, we are taught that hatred is not a good thing. We are NOT to hate.
But in the days of Jesus one of the common sayings of the day was ''Hate those who hate you.''
In fact, they could point to what seemed to be a Biblical foundation to that concept:
Ps 139:21-22 says ''Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.''
In addition… there seems to be some logical reasons to hate others.
ILLUS: In the April 2010 edition of Readers Digest, a man named Bob Brody wrote this:
''I've discovered that nothing feels quite as satisfying as a grudge well nursed. I had a boss who took a dislike to me from my first day on the job, even though she'd hired me. There were no complaints about my performance, but I later learned she'd lied to co-workers about me. Without explana¬tion, she laid me off after only ten weeks, just before Thanksgiving. I had a family to support.
Was I to forgive her? Should I now? Give me one good reason.
My grudge against her, balanced out that injustice, somehow righted the universe.
It has kept me warm on many a cold night.
A long-standing grudge suggests that we hold certain standards, that we respect ourselves enough to reject bad behavior. Failure to for¬give can be just as righteous, just as honorable, as forgiveness itself.''
So, there are people who feel justified in hating their enemies/ in refusing to forgive because:
• It shows they have ''standards''
• It shows they respect themselves
• It shows they refuse to accept ''bad behavior''
They believe that hating their enemies makes t ...
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