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<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sermons
for Epiphany 7:</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
Matthew 5:38-42 - <STRONG>"Going the Second Mile" </STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
Matthew 5:38-42 - <STRONG>"Your Honor: Jesus' Honor Code of Turning the Other
Cheek"</STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><STRONG>
</STRONG></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">by<SPAN> </SPAN>Leonard
Sweet</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Matthew 5, the
sermon titled "Going the Second Mile" <SPAN> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Mark Twain once
said this about the Bible: "I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I
don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me
fits." The passage that we are going to study certainly fits into that
category.</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This passage
illustrates something I bet most of you have never thought about before. One of
the easiest things in the world to do is to become a Christian. It is
ridiculously easy. All you have to do is confess you are a sinner, repent of
your sin, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin and was
raised from the dead, and surrender your life to Him as your Lord and Savior;
and you become a Christian immediately and instantaneously. There is not an
easier thing in the world than to become a Christian. But at the same time, one
of the most difficult things in the world is to be a Christian, and you're going
to see that illustrated this morning.</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">What Jesus says
is totally antithetical to the typical attitude in America. Years ago there was
a bumper sticker that became rather popular that simply said two words: "I
Want." Now that tag would fit on just about every car in America. We live in the
country of "I want." I want my rights; I want my happiness; I want my way; I
want my money.</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Rights are
considered as American as apple pie. This is a country where citizens have
rights. The best known part of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights.
<SPAN> </SPAN>I'm all for the right kind of rights, but today rights don't
so much protect the innocent as they promote the guilty. If you're going to be a
real Christian you're going to have to give up some rights. </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bill Walton
learned that to play basketball for John Wooden you had to give up some rights.
Coach Wooden had a rule against facial hair. If you played for him no facial
hair was allowed. After a ten day break from school, Bill Walton came to
practice wearing a beard. Coach Wooden walked up to him and said, "Bill, have
you forgotten something?" Walton replied, "Coach, if you mean the beard, I think
I should be allowed to wear it, it's my right." </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Coach Wooden
said, "Do you really believe in that?" He said, "Yes, I do, very much." Coach
Wooden looked at him and said, "Bill, I have great respect for individuals who
stand up for those things in which they believe. I really do. If you believe
that is your right, I would die for your right to defend that right." Bill
Walton said, "Thank you, Coach." Then Wooden said, "I just want you to know the
team is really going to miss you."</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">We've all heard
the expression, "Do your duty." Well, the Lord Jesus once again tells us
something that no human would have ever thought of. He is going to tell us, "Do
what is not your duty," and "Do more than your duty." That is going the second
mile. What does this mean?</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I. Be Willing
To Get Worse Than You Deserve</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">II. Be Willing
to Give More Than You Are Asked</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">III. Be Willing
to Go Farther Than You Are Required</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">IV. Be Willing
To Grant All That Is Needed</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of
this sermon following the outline above can be obtained by joining <A
style="COLOR: #003399" shape=rect target=_blank
__removedLink__368618624__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=aelnpceab&et=1104526813704&s=45429&e=001w5ARnhls0pi2Iiv1y_jluEiPibIHoRqt4eAwNWkFqnpDwUmiC70SdLX3VXzRvPLYLNUkoNmWxg5fpe7A8itSlccGdx2L8q_4jJqhMPFayHG5DtZluOgbFBd5KiTgfZc3">http://www.sermons.com/signup</A></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Matthew
5:38-48, the sermon titled "Your Honor: Jesus' Honor Code of Turning the Other
Cheek" by Leonard Sweet </SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Honor Bound.
</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Those words
"honor bound" have deep resonance.</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">*Cub Scouts
declare, "On my honor as a Scout..." </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">*Soldiers
pledge themselves to "Duty. Honor. Country." </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">*The fifth
commandment (depending on how you count) says "Honor thy father and thy mother."
</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">*Husbands and
wives promise to "Love. Honor. Cherish." </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A point of
honor is a good thing. Honor points us beyond ourselves and our little orbits.
Honor connects us to others. A shared sense of honor creates a common
culture.</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But when the
wrong things become "honored," honor itself can turn ugly. Consider how in
ancient Japanese culture the importance of maintaining one's "honor" sometimes
led those who felt shamed by imperfect behavior to commit ritual suicide or
hari-kiri. Death became the only way to "save face" and restore honor.
</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But there is an
even worse dishonoring of honor that curdles in the air of its occurrence:
"Honor Killing."</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In October 2009
in Arizona a father raced his Jeep across a parking lot and plowed into his
twenty year old daughter and another woman. While her companion survived, the
daughter was killed. This was an "honor killing." </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">For those of
you unfamiliar with the story, let me summarize briefly: Iraqi born Faleh
Almaleki sought out and killed his daughter Noor because he felt she had brought
shame to his family. The US born Noor had left an arranged marriage to an Iraqi
man, returned to her hometown in Arizona, and was living with the mother of her
new boyfriend. While she still considered herself a Muslim, Noor wanted to live
the life of an American girl. She wanted to wear Western clothes, work at an
office, go to college. </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Faleh, as the
head of his family, felt Noor had dishonored him, their entire extended family
clan, and Islam itself by her actions. In his eyes the only way the family honor
could be restored was to kill her. "An Iraqi," he insisted, "is worth nothing
without honor." Faleh later explained, "No one hates his daughter, but honor is
precious, and nothing is better than honor, and we are a tribal society that
can't change."</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Official
statistics admitted that at least 1261 known "honor killings" had occurred in
2006 (the most current statistics I could find). But in the rural communities of
Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan, no one would think of reporting such "family"
incidents. Even when "honor killings" are made known, there is typically little
or no punishment for the killer. </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The British
Pakistani historian Tariq Ali asks us to "Consider the following. A man dreams
his wife has betrayed him. He wakes up and sees her lying next to him. In a fury
he kills her. This really happened in Pakistan and the killer escaped
punishment. If dreams are to be treated as justification for an honor killing,
what woman is safe?" (London Review of Books, December 2008, 35).</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Since "honor
killings" involve restoring family honor, often the whole family is involved. In
the case of Noor Almaleki, her mother, her brother, and her uncle, helped her
father initially escape from the authorities (he was finally apprehended in
London and is on trial now in Arizona). In Peshawar a woman seeking a divorce
from an abusive husband was in a meeting with her attorney when her own mother
rushed into the office with two armed men and had them shoot her daughter
dead.</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This is a human
face of "honor."</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When the
concept of something as "honorable" as honor can become so completely
obliterated by human pride and evil, it is time to "turn the other cheek." It is
time we really listened to Jesus...</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of the
sermon dealing with the Egypt crisis please join <A style="COLOR: #003399"
shape=rect target=_blank
__removedLink__368618624__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=aelnpceab&et=1104526813704&s=45429&e=001w5ARnhls0pi2Iiv1y_jluEiPibIHoRqt4eAwNWkFqnpDwUmiC70SdLX3VXzRvPLYLNUkoNmWxg5fpe7A8itSlccGdx2L8q_4jJqhMPFayHG5DtZluOgbFBd5KiTgfZc3">http://www.sermons.com/signup</A> </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Love Your
Enemy</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In a sermon
written in a Georgia jail and preached just after the bus protest in Montgomery,
Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said this about loving your
enemies:<BR><BR>After noting that hate is just as injurious to the hater as the
hated, Dr. King says, </SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"Of course this
is not practical; life is a matter of getting even, of hitting back, of dog eat
dog... My friends, we have followed the so-called practical way for too long a
time now, and it has led inexorably to deeper confusion and chaos. Time is
cluttered with the wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and
violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of mankind, we must
follow another way. This does not mean that we abandon our righteous efforts.
With every ounce of our energy we must continue to rid this nation of the
incubus of segregation. But we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege
and our obligation to love. While abhorring segregation, we shall love the
segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved
community."<BR><BR>Martin Luther King, Jr., A Testament of Hope: the Essential
Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., page 596, quoted by Chuck
Queen, Love Your Enemies <BR>________________________________________</SPAN></P>
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