A Love Supreme

Passage

Matthew 5:38-48

Sermon Summary

Jesus' contemporaries misinterpreted God's Law to justify retribution and hatred for enemies. Jesus revealed the true spirit of the law by personally fulfilling it in his life, death and resurrection. He showed us how to "turn the other cheek" without justifying violence, and how to love our enemies without accommodating their errors. Musicians like John Coltrane, and Civil Rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer, exemplified this long-suffering Love Supreme. In our divided moment, those who believe must learn to do the same, trusting the Holy Spirit for power to grow and change.

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out or stuck with you from the sermon?
2. Consider that you personally were an enemy of God before he saved you by his grace. How does (or should) that fact shape your view of people who say or do wrong things?
3. Name some specific ways that Jesus "turned the other cheek" or "walked the extra mile" in his earthly ministry. What might those behaviors look like in your life?
4. Verse 45 is a classic articulation of the doctrine of Common Grace: that God blesses, and does good through, al people, even those who do not believe. Name a specific area where you can see God's common grace operating in or through your enemies.
5. How might your enemies be "sick" rather than pure evil? Describe what redemption could look like in their life. Be as specific as possible.
6. Write down the names of some of your "enemies," and commit to praying regularly for them.

Resources Consulted:

* A Love Supreme (musical album), John Coltrane

* The Four Loves, CS Lewis