“Don’t Play Fair”

Perched above, the Sea of Galilee below, his disciples listening in—Jesus shares the longest stretch of instruction for life that was as riveting and relevant then as it is today. The Sermon on the Mount reveals the secrets of life. God didn’t hand us a system of rules and regulations to follow; instead, Jesus explains how God originally intended us to live. In this series, we’ll sit at the feet of Jesus with the first disciples, peeling back each layer of Matthew 5-7, to discover that God isn’t interested in modifying our behavior to conform to his standards. He wants us to become the kind of people who will naturally live the way He intended. He plans to change us from the Inside Out.

Identify your enemy – Ask yourself “who is Jesus calling me to love in response to this message?” and get specific.

Do something good for your enemy – Here is where we need to use wisdom. Not every situation allows for this application. In some cases, it may not be wise or safe to do something good for your enemy. So, use your head and talk it over with people who love Jesus and love you.

Pray for your enemy – This is one of the most difficult things to do. Try using the words of Jesus Luke 23:34 – “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Or, Luke 6:27-28 – “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”