When it comes to sports craving spectators to some degree is a natural thing. However in our Christian service this craving for spectators is a very dangerous proposition.

On one hand the Sermon on the Mount is very encouraging but looking at vs 48 it can feel discouraging. Jesus is not setting up an unattainable goal in this passage.

When it comes to sports craving spectators to some degree is a natural thing. However in our Christian service this craving for spectators is a very dangerous proposition.

Over the course of the Sermon on the mount Jesus has said a lot of things, and many of those things can be uncomfortable. When we are uncomfortable our Theology can slip as we try to wiggle out of what aspects don't apply to us.

On one hand the Sermon on the Mount is very encouraging but looking at vs 48 it can feel discouraging. Jesus is not setting up an unattainable goal in this passage. The sermon centers on Matthew 5:48, where Jesus calls believers to be perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect, not as a demand for sinless perfection but as a call to spiritual maturity and Christlikeness. Drawing from the Sermon on the Mount, the preacher emphasizes that this perfection is not attainable by human effort alone but is a lifelong pursuit of holiness in emotions, sexual purity, marriage, integrity in speech, non-retaliation, and love for enemies—each reflecting God's character. Rooted in the doctrine of adoption and imputed righteousness, the message affirms that salvation is secure in Christ, yet it demands a transformed life marked by intentional growth, self-examination, and reliance on Christ as the vine. The tone is both convicting and hopeful, urging believers to abandon passive faith and instead cultivate their hearts through disciplined, grace-enabled effort, recognizing that spiritual maturity is not about flawlessness but about faithful pursuit of God's character in every area of life.

If you got everything you deserved where would you be-- Many people feel like they deserve more positive consequences, but how about the negative consequences-- By God's grace we do not get everything we deserve, and we should not wish for our enemies to always get what they deserve. We are called to love our enemies, and this means not actively rooting against them.