Jesus was not well liked by the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians or the high priest and his followers. All of these groups were deeply into the Kabbalah and Talmud which they felt superseded the authority of the Old Testament. One of the teachings from their books was the command to love their neighbors and hate their enemies. Jesus turned the tables on them when He stated they were to also love their enemies.

Jesus said that loving your friends is easy but loving those who are unkind is way more difficult and the hallmark of being His disciple. Every human being is created in the image of God and thus we should treat one another kindly, knowing that we are looking at God’s creation which he declared to be very good. Instead of trying to dominate and control other people, we are to respect each other. Jesus used divine wisdom when He instructed His disciples to treat others the way they want to be treated.

Then Jesus also went into the subject of judging. He was not talking about the church as an institution, but how each Christian should act. Before you judge somebody else, take a look at yourself and make sure that you don’t have any baggage. Only when you’re free and clear are you ready to help others with their faults. Christians should also look after each other’s needs, meaning our action to meet the need of someone suffering should be automatic, not just when we’re prompted.

Print out the sermon outline and let's examine the Scriptures together Sunday morning at 9:00 AM PST.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor John S. Torell