We get a lot of input in our world about love. We see a lot of stuff that appears to be good. We even hear the word
“bless” or “blessing” from people. We don’t get as much encouragement on prayer – but we can get the Lord’s Prayer
Cross to make our lives complete. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMUcMoe9FaQ)
Love, doing good, blessing and prayer are good things. They are things we claim – as believers in Jesus – that we are
about. Today Jesus is going to challenge us in those things – true followers of Jesus maybe haven’t really pursued living by
those things as we should. We’ll see today.
We are continuing our series in the Gospel of Luke called “A REAL Human Life.” The Lord Jesus lived the example of
what human life was meant to be when He came to earth. He did it perfectly and offers the same life to us if we will put our
trust in Him. What we’re looking at today is a very difficult command from Him. But HE did it – and He offers us the
opportunity to live the same way, so we’ll see what we can hear and apply from what He tells us today. Let’s start with
prayer. PRAY
Last week we looked at the Beatitudes – things Jesus shared with His followers that would help them live for the things that
last. The way Jesus looks at life is much different than how the world portrays it. The world says live for the gusto now,
get all you can, think of yourself first, help others if it will make you look good. Jesus says nearly the opposite. You are
blessed if you’re poor and hungry and weeping now. You should rejoice if you are hated and left out and ridiculed and
called evil. If all of that is true because you live for God’s things – the eternal things He offers – you are blessed.
Jesus continues in what we’re looking at today, going beyond our attitudes about life to our actions. Luke 6:27,28.
READ. Jesus, the REAL human being, lays out this way of life that is totally opposite of what we are used to. If we want
the most out of human life – like Jesus had – these are things we need to put into practice. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t
it? Love your - - ENEMIES. Do good to those who - - HATE you. Bless those who - - CURSE you. Pray for those
who - - USE you. Are those our first responses in situations like that? I think we may need help.
Maybe Jesus meant something different than what He said – maybe He didn’t really mean LOVE our enemies. The word
Luke records for “love” is the Greek word “agape.” That’s God’s kind of love – seeking the best for others no matter
what the cost to me. Jesus calls us – truthfully, Jesus COMMANDS us – to do that for our enemies – seek the best for
them no matter what it costs us. He could have just said, “Be nice to people as much as you can.” Or, “Ignore people
who hate you – don’t let anything get started.” But no, Jesus commands us to LOVE those who are our enemies.
Maybe the enemy part is where our problem is – maybe He didn’t really mean “enemies.” The Greek word Jesus used for
“enemies” is “hostile, hateful adversaries.” This is on their part – they are hostile to you and hateful to you. Jesus clearly
calls us and commands us to seek the best for those who are hostile toward us and hateful toward us no matter what it
costs us.
Who are those people? You may think through people you know and not be able to come up with an enemy. That’s a
blessing for your personal life. But there are people out there who hate Jesus and hate His followers. That commercial for
the prayer cross has comments below it – several of them are not only ridiculing the product, but outright evil and
blasphemous against the Lord Jesus. I was going to have Wayne scroll down and show you, but some of us couldn’t
handle the disrespectful, vulgar language.
We have enemies out in the world – and we are called to love them. Remember what Peter said that we read last Sunday
– it is better to suffer for being righteous than to suffer for being evil (1 Peter 3:13-17). When we see and hear about
people in our community, our nation and around the world who hate Christians, what should our response be? Jesus says
to LOVE them – seek their best, no matter what it costs us. Is He saying to go bring them groceries or shovel their
sidewalk or fill up their car? Maybe. I don’t know what He might specifically be telling us to do. But we should listen for
Him, trust Him and do what He says.
We’ll come back to loving our enemies in a minute. We have to deal with the next impossible command – do good to
those who hate you. These could be the same people who consider us enemies. And we were just thinking about what it
might mean to love them – do good to them. Serve them somehow. Will that automatically fix their hatred? Probably not,
but it may cause them to rethink what you stand for. And even if they don’t change their opinion, they will not have
anything to stand on if they take their hatred to the next level.
And the next level is to bless those who curse you. What does that mean – “bless?” Is it to raise our hands and pronounce
some kind of religious sounding statement in their presence? Do we have to touch them? The word “bless” comes from
the same word as “gospel” which means “good news.” To bless someone is to speak well of them. So these people who
consider you and enemy and hate you – you should speak well of them to those you know.
And then Jesus says to pray for those who spitefully use you. To be taken advantage of is not easy or fun. And as time
goes on, it happens more and more. A few years ago I got a phone call asking for financial help from a woman who had a
very sad story – her water was being shut off and her children wouldn’t have water and she had no husband and no job –
could we possibly help? We did help. The next week I got another call, this time from a man, with nearly the exact same
story – except he had no wife and no job. I told him that we couldn’t help him – mainly because I think you have already
called us and we helped last week, but it was a woman. He hung up.
This couple – I assume they were working together – were trying to use the goodwill of people to get by without working.
We prayed for them. And we even helped them once – if they really needed help. But I am tempted, after dealing with
hundreds of calls like that, to not help at all. But Jesus commands us to view life differently and LIVE life differently.
Luke 6:29-31. READ. This just keeps getting harder and harder. Love people who hate us, pray for people who take
advantage of us, give people the opportunity to hit us again if they strike us. Give to everyone who asks. I’m starting to
have serious doubts about MY ability to do this. How about you?
Verse 31 is commonly called “The Golden Rule.” It never mentions gold and I don’t even see it as a rule. But it is a
perfect way to live. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Many of us learned the KJV of this when we were
young – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is not only a good thing to memorize, it is a good
thing to remind yourself of often. Would I want someone to treat me the way I am treating them right now? This helps me
a little bit with the rest of the things Jesus is saying, but I still have serious doubts about my ability to keep His commands
here.
Luke 6:32-36. READ. Jesus clearly tells us here that what He is commanding is different than what we’re used to. It’s
easy to love people who love you – it’s not difficult to be nice to people who are nice to you. And if you know you’ll get
paid back for money borrowed, that’s a no brainer. Where LOVE comes in and where DOING GOOD comes in and
BLESSING and PRAYER is when we do those things when it’s difficult. Maybe even when it’s impossible.
Jesus finally gives us the connection to HOW this can happen in verses 35 and 36. You will be sons of the Most High – for
He is kind to the unthankful and evil. I think we’re all pretty sure that we would not be able to consistently live out these
commands. But if we yield ourselves to the Most High, He can do it. He has already done it. To live this way, and live for
what lasts – to live like Jesus – it has to be Jesus living in us.
A real human life – the way God defines it – is under the control and indwelling power of God Himself. God has already
demonstrated His ability to love this way. Look at Romans 5:8. READ. I submit to you that Him living in us is the ONLY
way this will ever happen. He showed us His love for us while were sinners. Jesus died for us when we were sinners. The
perfect holy God loves sinners, sent Jesus to pay for their sin, restores sinners to Himself. It is by His power and control of
us that WE would be able to live the way Jesus commands us to.
Jesus did this – He lived this way. We’re not going to talk about it today, but even when He was confronting the Pharisees
and religious leaders, He lived this way. He did not return evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9). And, as a REAL human being, Jesus
lived this way – NOT based on His Godness – based on His humanness. He relied on the Father for all His words and
actions (John 5:19,30; 8:28). And He calls us to live the way He did and promises us blessing from God. Live for the stuff
that lasts and you will receive stuff that lasts.
Turn to Luke 10:16. READ. We can love people who consider us enemies because we realize it is not really US they
have a problem with. It is Jesus. If they reject us – hate us – curse us – use us, we know it is not because of us. You and
I are the same as them. It is who lives IN us that makes them mad. Psalm 118:6 says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not
fear. What can man do to me?” Look at what Paul says in Philippians 1:19-21. READ. Live for what lasts and even
living and dying takes on a different importance. What’s the worst someone who hates you can do to you? They could kill
you. It probably won’t happen – but it could. And if they kill you as a follower of Jesus, your next sight is the Lord Jesus
Himself. Their next sight is a whole bunch of trouble and maybe meeting Greg in the jail ministry.
Of all the people in the world, who are we supposed to love? All of them. Of all the people in our nation, who are we
supposed to do good to? All of them. Of all the people in our town, who are we supposed to bless and pray for? All of
them. Think about something with me. Do you realize that Jesus died for the sins of the religious leaders who condemned
Him to death?
He died for Pontius Pilate and Herod, for Caiphas and Annas the high priests. Jesus died for the sins of the soldiers who
nailed Him to the cross. Jesus died for the sins of the on-lookers who both cried and jeered. Jesus died for the sins of
Mohammed, all the sins of the popes, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, JFK, Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Michael
Jackson, thousands of Haitians, Barrack Obama – YOU.
Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who spitefully use you.
If I live for me or for the things of the world that don’t last, I can’t live that way. But if I give up my life to Jesus and He
lives HIS life in me, He has already proven that He can do it. And He will continue to do it in me. What needs to happen
in you and me for these actions to be possible? Determine how tightly you hold on to the control of your life. Do you want
it for you or is it going to belong to Jesus?
Verse 36 calls us to this life. Be merciful like He is merciful. Be like HIM. Don’t give people what they deserve. God will
take care of all that at the judgment. Treat people like God treated you – He did not give you what you deserved, but in
His grace, gave you what you did NOT deserve. Love, good, blessing and Jesus Himself intercedes for us before the
Father – He prays for us. Live worthy of THAT calling.