Going the second mile
In the first century Romans could force the Jews to carry their goods for one mile because it was the law. After the Jews had carried the Roman soldiers goods for a mile they could tell them this is as far as were going and were not going to carry your goods any further. We have an example of this when Jesus was making his way to his crucifixion.
Luke 23:26 Now as they led Him away, they laid
hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was
coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it
after Jesus.
It is from this concept that Jesus taught how Christians should be willing to go a second mile.
Matthew
Notice Jesus gives us 3 different examples
which teach the Christians to go beyond the first mile or the first step and to
continue on to the second mile or the second step.
1. Jesus tells us not
to resist or oppose an evil person and gives an example. He says if they strike
on the right cheek turn to him the other one as well. You have to understand
that it was a great insult in the first century to strike someone on the right
cheek. Most people would
not tolerate such an insult and they would retaliate. But, Jesus
is telling us don’t retaliate don’t get revenge instead turn your other cheek
to them as well.
2. The second thing he
tells us is that the first mile or first step if would be if someone sues you
and takes your tunic or take your money then give them your cloak as well. The
giving of your cloak would be the second mile. Again this has in mind not
resisting an evil person.
3. Jesus says if
someone forces you to go one mile then go with him two. In all 3 of these
examples Jesus is teaching you and I that we are to go beyond the first mile or
the first step. So this morning we are going to be examining several principles
in which we are to go the second mile.
Bible Study.
2 Timothy
Here we see first mile or first step in Bible
study. Paul want Timothy to study God Word so that he can know what it says and
be able to use the knowledge to combat false doctrine. Every Christian should
be study God Word to learn more about him and wonderful love and to make sure
that we are living our lives in an acceptable manner before God. Unfortunately
there are many Christians today who don’t even go this first mile in
Christianity. There are so many churches out there are slowly but surely moving
away from the true Word of God. They are starting to base their worship to God
based on how they feel and what the think will draw more people. There a great
move today of people trying to make the church an entertainment business.
Instead of hearing a sermon from the word of God you will hear lesson that that
come from all kind neat little stories. Now there is
nothing wrong with using stories here and there but that not what they are
doing. You can sit through a whole service and you might hear 1 or 2 verses
from the Bible. This is a sad situation because whenever you and make ourselves
the center of worship instead of God then have lost the true meaning of true
worship of God and the reason why so many are changing the ways things are done is because they are not
embracing the first mile of Christianity by study the word of God. Some were
having this problem in the 1st century.
Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought
to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles
of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only
of milk is unskilled in the word of
righteousness, for he is a babe. 14
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that
is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both
good and evil.
There is a great danger in not growing in your
knowledge of the Lord.
Hebrews 2:1Therefore we must give the more
earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels
proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
reward, 3
how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation,
A Christian must be willing to go the first mile
before they can every hope to make to the second mile. We find the second mile
described in:
2 Timothy 2:1You therefore, my son, be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these
to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Not only did Paul want Timothy to study the Word
of God he wanted him to teach it as well and commit it to other faithful people
who would in turn teach to others. This would include him teaching them by word
and by example.
1 Timothy
That is what we are to do as Christians today. Don’t just study Gods Word
we need to live it by good examples and by teaching it when have the
opportunity.
Worship
Lets look as the first mile. Paul tells us,
Acts 20:7 Now on
the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break
bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his
message until
Every Christian should meet of the first day of
the week to worship God. We should not at this something that we have to do but
as something that we can do. Again, there are a lot of Christians who do not
embrace this first mile or first step of Christianity because many will the
church services and will only show up once a month or 2 or 3 times a year.
People who attend sporadically like this simply do
not have there priorities straight. They only come when they feel need a little
religion or maybe they want to see some of their old friends. Again, this was a
problem they had in the first century as well.
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another in
order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.
When Christians decide to neglect the church which Jesus purchased with
his own blood we miss out on many wonderful opportunities to worship God and encourage
our brothers and sisters in Christ. We also miss the opportunity to partake of
the Lords Supper and give our means as the word of God commands us to do. We
must strive to do these things for the first mile of Christianity if we are
even going to come close to the second mile Christianity which is found in.
Matthew
Not only we are to assemble with the saints on the
first day of the week we are to challenge ourselves to put Gods kingdom first
in every aspect of our live. This would include making to Bible class so that
we can learn more about God’s word and he we wants to worship him in spirit and
in truth. This means that we will do our best to be involved with the church
and the many activities that are available and try to spread the good news to
those who are around us. Paul speaks of some Christians
who went that second mile in,
2 Corinthians 8:3-4 3 For I bear witness that
according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely
willing, 4 imploring us with
much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints.
Notice they gave beyond their ability. You see God
does not want Christians to be satisfied with just going part of the way but he
wants them to go all the way and give there best just as God gives us his best.
Sin
The first mile or first
step in regards to sin is found in:
1 John 1:9 If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Every Christian should rejoice in the fact that
God loved us enough that he has provided a way that we can have our sin
forgiven. God knows that we are going to fall short of his glory from time to
time (Rom
Hebrews
While this is a
wonderful blessing that every Christians has access to some Christians fail to
embrace the grace of God. Its like they are to prideful to humble themselves
before God because they don’t want to admit that they have sinned. Other may
fail to repent and confess there sin to God because they are not ready to give
up the sin that they are it. We need to realize this is dangerous game to play
because sin separates us from God and brings about spiritual death.
The second mile that
Christians should work toward is found in,
Romans 6:1 What shall
we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who
died to sin live any longer in it?
Paul is say that you and I should forsake sin
since we died to it. The more we grow in the knowledge and grace of our lord
the less we are going to sin. You see its easy for
Christian to get the mind set that they can just sin every single day without
trying to resist the sin. They might say well
I just confess my sin and it will be forgiven so there really no need
for me to try resist my temptations when so easy to be forgiven of them. Again,
this a dangerous mindset to have and it is not what the
Bible teaches.
Romans
You see if you are not fighting against your
temptations everyday you are allowing sin to be your master and it will lead
you to spiritual death. Jesus said,
Matthew 6:24
" No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and
love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and mammon.
As Christians we need
have the attitude that David did he said,
Psalm 101:3
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work
of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.
Forgiveness
The first step of mile
of forgiveness is found in,
Luke 17:3 "Take heed to yourselves. If
your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 "And if he sins against you
seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I
repent,' you shall forgive him."
This first mile is something that some Christians
have great difficulty with. If a person does you wrong and just tears you up
inside and makes you feel like you have aged 10 years because of the horrible
thing they did to you or your loved ones this passage teaches us that if they
come to you and repent and ask you for forgiveness you must forgive them and do
your best to forget the awful thing they did against you. From
a human perspective that can very difficult to do. But, notice that
Jesus says that if someone sins against 7 times in one day and comes to us and repents we must
forgive them. Some of us have hard enough time forgiving someone once much less
7 times in one day, however this it what Jesus has commanded us to do and if we
love and we want glorify him we need to obey this command no matter how
difficult it may be.
We must understand that God is not asking us to do
something that he is not willing to do. Think about it. You and I are sinners
and we deserve the wrath of God. But, God loves us and because of his wonderful
Grace he has provided away for us to have our sins removed. Once we have obeyed
the gospel call and have been baptized into Christ for the remission of our
sins all we have to obtain forgiveness is to repent and confess our sin to God
and we will be forgiven no matter how many times we sin. That brings us to the
second mile of forgiveness and is found in,
Matthew
You see just as God is willing to forgive us over
and over again we are to follow his example and forgive those who sin against
us and repent over and over again. There is no limit on how many times we are
to forgive someone and Jesus makes it very clear the importance of forgiving
others in,
Matthew
Love
Our first miles comes
from,
Matthew 5: 43 "
You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.'
Now this is something that is really easy for just
about everybody to do. It is easy to love you neighbor or friend and to hate
your enemy. Even non-Christians do this. But, lets
continue reading and learn what the second miles is.
44 "But I say to you, love
your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and
pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be
sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the
good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 "For if you love those who
love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same? 47
"And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do
not even the tax collectors do so?
Here we have another
excellent example of how Christians are different than the world. How they are
to go above and beyond what most people would be willing to do. You see it is easy to love your friends and loved
ones everyone can do that but not only are Christians to love their neighbors
they are to love their enemies. Again, this another
one of those concepts that is very difficult for some Christians to embrace but
if we are going to be pleasing God we need to try and love our enemies. Again,
God is not asking to do something that he is not willing to. Notice he make the
sun to rise on the evil and the good and he sends the rain on the just and the
unjust and when you think about we have all been the enemy of God at some point
in our life because we have all sinned and sin makes you enemy of God. Just God
loved us and gave his son we are to reach out and love our enemy.
We have looked at
several points this
morning and examined how as Christians we must strive to not only
to go the first mile in our Christianity but to also go the second mile. God
has left us many examples of he went out his way to help up out of our debt of
sin and how we should follow his example and always look for ways that we can
go out of our way to help those around us and to glorify God.