Matthew 5:21-26

Matthew 5:21-26
English Standard Version (ESV)


Here's a link to the service I preached yesterday in Mt. Vernon, OH.

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  I was preaching about this yesterday -- there is a vast gulf between following the letter of the Law and the spirit of the Law.  Toeing the line and doing only what the Law asks of us and expecting God to be pleased with that is not what we are called to -- the Law is intended to help us see how God wants us to treat one another, and then we're to take that expectation into the world, where we selflessly serve one another, based one what the Law teaches us.
  It's a hard thing.  Perfectly living into the expectations of the Law is impossible -- but that shouldn't stop us from trying.  We don't have to do it to earn God's love and favor -- Christ has achieved that for us.  We should seek to love and serve our community as the natural outflow of gratitude we have towards God.  We have been loved by God despite falling short.  And so, therefore, we should love one another as we have been loved, even when it is challenging.  Our natural instinct is to try and 'win' our interactions with one another.  What God teaches us is that we need to think about how to serve, rather than how to win.