Doing What Should Be Done
Restoring a relationship takes courage and humility, but it’s the right thing to do. Making things right is always worth it.
Restoring a relationship takes courage and humility, but it’s the right thing to do. Making things right is always worth it.
We can read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in 15 minutes or less. No teacher or preacher has ever packed more truth into such a brief period of time. For centuries, these words from Matthew’s gospel have been scrutinized by millions of Bible students, authors, pastors, and missionaries. Yet, no one has even come close to exhausting Jesus’ message.
As Christians, we must focus on making a lasting impact for good—influencing others without resorting to force or other means of control. The crucial question is how? Jesus’ answer in Matthew 5 is still the best.
Nothing Jesus stated was ever more profound than His Sermon on the Mount. In the section of Scripture we’ll examine in this lesson, Jesus discussed the Christian’s relationship to the Mosaic Law. At the heart of His instruction is righteousness—the state of having sufficient grounds to stand before a holy God.
We’ve all hurt others, and no matter how much time has passed it’s not too late to reconcile and make things right. We all need grace, and we all need to extend grace. Mending broken relationships speaks volumes to those around you.
In His greatest of sermons, Jesus addressed marriage. As He did, He went deeper than the letter of the Law. He made it clear that marriage requires absolute faithfulness, and personal relationships require absolute truthfulness.
When you’ve offended someone it’s not enough to make things right with God. You need to face the person you’ve hurt and say, “I’m sorry.” Admitting you’re wrong takes guts and strength of character.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offered revolutionary, even strange, advice for His people. Without pulling His punches, Jesus addressed the very best way to handle sensitive situations with those who threaten our personal rights. He offered countercultural counsel and dared us to obey.
While rabbis of the day taught the finer points of Mosaic Law, Jesus‘ message touched the heart. His words, ignited by the Spirit of God, still cut through the stuff of life and call us to live as God intends for us to live.
When someone hurts you deeply, it’s easy to feel justified in holding a grudge. But in this message, Chuck Swindoll warns us that holding onto resentment doesn’t just injure our relationship with the other person…it damages our relationship with God.