All right, well we are continuing on with Jesus' sermon here in Luke chapter 6. Dave's smiling at me because he's already way past me in Luke, but we're not racing, right?
Recap is good. Drill it in deeper, right?
For the past two Sundays we've been looking at Jesus' radical instructions about how we are to treat other people.
We are to love our enemies. We are to do good to those who hate us.
We are even to pray for those who curse us or mistreat us.
We're not to retaliate, either in word or action.
We are to be merciful, not treating others according to how they treat us or according to what we feel they deserve.
But according to how we ourselves want to be treated.
And now Jesus wraps up his instruction on this theme by restating it and by reminding us of some motivating realities.
Let's look at our passage this morning here in Luke 6 verse 32.
Jesus says,
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do that.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be repaid in full.
But love your enemies.
Do good to them.
And lend to them.
Without expecting to get anything back.
Then your reward will be great.
And you will be children of the Most High.
Because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Be merciful.
Just as your Father is merciful.
We notice in these words of Jesus, these rhetorical questions.
If you do such and such, what credit is that to you?
Three times Jesus asked a rhetorical question like this.
This is another example of that sort of synonymous parallelism.
That's intended to drive home the same point but from three different angles.
And what's the point?
Well, we need to translate these rhetorical questions into statements.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
Answer?
It's no credit.
It's no credit to you if you only love those who love you.
And it's no credit to you if you're only good to those who are good to you.
And it's no credit to you if you only lend to people who you think it likely will pay you back.
In other words, we should not expect any praise, any well done, any commendation or reward from God
for just treating others according to how they treat us.
There's nothing especially commendable about that.
Nothing worthy of reward.
After each of these rhetorical statements is this repeated phrase.
Even sinners do that.
The self-interested people of the world who are not seeking to live righteously,
even they love those who love them.
Even they do good to those who are good to them.
Even they lend to those who are likely to pay them back.
That's just normal reciprocation.
We talked about the golden rule last week.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
But this kind of living that Jesus is talking about is
do to others so that they will do good to you.
Or it's if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
If you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you.
If you help me out, I'll help you out.
Well, that's not anything special or worthy of honor, says Jesus.
Of course you love those who love you.
That's not righteousness.
That's not the kind of love that I'm talking about.
That's not caring truly and deeply for the needs of others.
It's a sort of self-serving, convenient arrangement
that even people who don't fear God do all the time.
It's no credit to you to just reciprocate kindness to people.
To return good only to those who are good to you.
The example of lending in verses 34 and 35
really stands out in this section as something new, something fresh.
Why might someone ask to borrow money from you?
Because they have none.
Well, our minds start thinking of all the different scenarios that might be.
Apart from addictions and substance abuse
or forgetting their wallet at home,
it's probably that they are really in need.
And it's kind of humiliating to have to ask those around you
for a loan,
for help to fulfill your obligations.
And so often people won't ask to borrow
until they're truly in need.
Until the vehicle's out of commission
and the repair bill is too high.
Is more than what there is in the bank account.
Often people won't ask
until the gas tank is completely empty
and they have to get to this appointment.
Often people won't ask
until the fridge is empty
and there's hunger.
until the credit card is already maxed out.
Would you be willing to lend me some money?
I've got myself into a tough situation
and I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I can.
The normal way of the world in moments like this
is to assess the situation,
to evaluate that person and what you know of them,
and then to count the cost to yourself.
How likely am I to be repaid?
And if they're quite likely to repay them,
well, I'll lend them the money.
But notice how that decision is
first and foremost based on my interests.
Whether I will be repaid
because it's my money
and I want to get it back.
Can I spare that money
if they don't repay me?
And so with that kind of thinking,
if you decide to grant them a small loan,
Jesus says,
it's no credit to you.
There's no praise or reward from God
for that.
That's not being especially helpful
or generous to them.
You're mainly concerned about yourself
and whether you'll get the money back.
Jesus says,
love your enemies.
Do good to them.
Lend to them without expecting
to get anything back.
If we take away that expectation of repayment,
why would we lend to them?
Well, because they're in need.
Because they need help.
Our being willing to lend to them
regardless of whether they pay us back
is a true act of compassion.
It's a true act of love and goodness
because it's no longer about us
and our money.
It's about them.
And their need.
And as we saw with the discussion
about retaliation above
and turning the other cheek
and allowing them to take the shirt as well,
it's better to be generous.
It's better to be kind
and sometimes taken advantage of
and wronged
than to be just like the world around us
with a hollow love
that only shows goodness
to those who are good to us.
Now we might wonder in that moment,
well, what about
me?
What about my money?
What if I don't get it back?
This is a lot of money.
I worked for that money.
It was the reward for my labor.
How is it right that they should have it
for doing nothing?
And maybe that I should lack that money
permanently
if they don't repay it.
Well, Jesus helps us with this too.
He says in verse 35,
love your enemies,
do good to them
and lend to them
without expecting
to get anything back.
Then
your reward
will be great
and you will be children
of the Most High.
There are times
when living like this
may result in us
being taken advantage of.
Our love toward an enemy
may be scorned.
You send a gift
and it's thrown in the trash
or you send a card
and it's returned in the mail.
You do good to them
but they may continue
to be hostile
and nasty to you.
You lend to them
and they tell you
time and time again,
yeah, I'm going to repay you
but the money
never shows itself.
Take heart.
In those kinds of situations,
says Jesus,
your reward
will be great.
Not from them,
not from others,
but your reward from God.
God sees
and keeps track
of every single time
that we are wronged.
Every time we're
taken advantage of.
And when we refuse
to retaliate
and instead
act in love
and generosity
and kindness,
God will see to it
that we are honored
on the great day.
That we are rewarded
for loving
and giving
the way that He does.
there is a day
of reward
coming
for the disciples
of Jesus.
Now the precise details
on what God's reward
to us will be
on that day
we don't know.
It awaits the end
when Jesus returns
to open up the books
and reveal
how all of His followers
have lived.
but do you believe
that God
can reward you
far beyond
the wrong
or the loss
or the pain
that you suffer
from others?
Let me ask that again.
Do you believe
that God
can reward you
far beyond
the wrong
or the loss
or the pain
that you
suffered
from others?
I think deep down
in our hearts
we know
that He can.
On a very practical note
when it comes
to borrowing
and lending
something I personally
try to do
is to avoid
borrowing
at all costs
of course
with the exception
of the mortgage
on our home
it's almost impossible
to buy a home
without that.
But I think
there's true wisdom
in the words
that God spoke
through Solomon
long ago.
Proverbs
chapter 22
verse 7
says
the rich
rule over the poor
and the borrower
is slave
to the lender.
So what those words
mean to me
is that I would
be wise
to avoid
borrowing
at all costs
because to do so
is at least
in some measure
to make myself
a slave.
It's to
surrender
control of my life
in some measure
to someone else.
Now of course
with the
exception of
the basic
essentials
of food
and shelter
and clothing
it's better
to go without
and be free
than to have
and be a slave.
So how do we
factor in
these words
to the words
that Jesus
gives us
when he encourages
us to be willing
to lend
without expecting
repayment?
Well if going
into debt
is unwise
for me
because the
borrower is
slave
to the lender
then lending
to someone else
puts them
into that
same situation
where they
lose some
of their
freedom
and become
in some
measure
a slave
to me
obligated
to repay
me.
And so
this is just
my own
personal
understanding
of this
what I find
helpful
in this
situation
is that
if anybody
asks
to borrow
from me
I choose
to think
of what I
lend
to them
as a gift
rather than
a loan.
I don't
set out
terms of
repayment
if it's
a relatively
small and
manageable
amount of
money
why not
just give
it to them
as a gift
from God?
Just tell
them this
is from
the Lord
Jesus.
Then
they can
be free
of any
feeling of
obligation
to repay
you.
Give it
as a gift
if you
can.
tell them
it's a gift
so that
they know
that they're
not burdened
by this
sense of
duty
to somehow
find the
money to
repay you.
And then
at the
outset
you don't
even have
to worry
about whether
they pay
you back
or not.
You saw
their need
and you
just gave
to help
them meet
it.
Now
sometimes
it's a
larger sum
maybe
an amount
of money
that
yeah
it's
difficult
to give
that amount.
Lend
it to
them
if
you're
able
but
leave
it
to
God
whether
they
pay
you
back.
Isn't
that what
Jesus is
saying
with these
words?
Lend
to them
without
expecting
to get
anything
back.
Don't
chase
them
around
asking
for
your
money
back
or
hold
it
over
them
and
let
it
sour
your
relationship
with
them.
Take
it
on
the
chin.
Turn
the
other
cheek.
remember
God
can
repay
you
for
anything
that
you've
lost.
He
can
give
more
to
you
if
you
need
it
and
at
the
end
he
will
reward
those
who
are
generous
and
lend
and
give.
Notice
who
Jesus
tells
us
to
lend
to.
He
says
love
your
enemies.
Do
good
to
them.
Lend
to
them
without
expecting
to
get
anything
back.
So
already
we
should
be
thinking
of
this
as
money
that's
probably
not
coming
back
to
us.
This
is
an
enemy
we're
lending
to.
It's
a
kindness
that's
probably
not
going
to
be
returned.
Now
we
also
have
to
remember
that
this
is
a
general
imperative.
This
is a
general
teaching
of
Jesus.
It's
a
principle.
And
it's
not
without
exception.
Do
not
lend
money
to
the
guy
begging
you
for
it
next
door
to
the
liquor
store
whose
breath
smells
like
alcohol.
We
are
stewards
and
managers
of what
God
has
entrusted
to
us.
We
are
to
be
generous
but
not
foolish.
Giving
money
to
an
addict
only
enables
him
to
do
more
damage
to
himself
and
to
perpetuate
his
addiction.
Giving
money
to
a
chronic
gambler
is a
sure
way
to
squander
what
the
Lord
has
entrusted
to
you
and
it
doesn't
help
him
out
one
bit.
Giving
a
second
or a
third
or a
fourth
loan
to a
shopaholic
is
not
meeting
their
need.
Giving
money
to
someone
who
is
lazy
and
unwilling
to
work
only
perpetuates
and
reinforces
that
laziness.
The
Apostle
Paul
himself
laid
down
this
rule
in
the
churches
as
he
went
about
as
a
missionary.
This
is
what
he
wrote
to
the
Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians
3
verse
10.
He
said,
So there
are
these
situations
and
what we
have to
figure out
in these
situations
is what
a
person's
need
really
is.
And
sometimes
in
situations
like
these
it's
not
more
money.
It's
okay
to say
no
to the
one
asking
to
borrow
in
these
circumstances.
And
it
has
nothing
to
do
with
whether
they
will
repay
you.
It's
about
whether
they're
truly
in
need
of
what
they're
asking
for
and
whether
the
thing
that
you
give
or
lend
is
actually
meeting
that
need.
So
we're
talking
specifically
about
the
addict,
the
gambler,
the
shopaholic,
or the
freeloader
who's
unwilling
to
work.
And
here
too,
we have
to be
careful
with
this.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
we
can't
control
how a
person
spends
what we
give
them
or what
we lend
to them.
Maybe
they spent
it all
on
groceries,
but the
kind of
stuff that
they buy
is that
really expensive
convenience
food.
And
the money
could have
gone a lot
further if
they had
bought some
more staple
foods and
did some
cooking.
money.
But
God's
not
asking us
to ensure
that every
dollar that
we give is
spent wisely.
Maybe they
spend half of
it on
groceries and
the other half
on cigarettes.
We can't
always let
that thought
of how they
will spend
it.
We can't
let it stop
us from
being generous
and lending
to those
in need.
Back in
the day
our church
was part
of the
Davidson
Interchurch
Association
and we
used to
issue
vouchers for
groceries or
gas to
people in
need.
Anybody
who asked
for one.
And the
list of
people who
took advantage
of that
and used
that every
year was
relatively
small.
We had a
limit of
three vouchers
per year
that we
would give
and there
was a
possibility
you could
get more
in exceptional
cases.
I remember
one time
giving a
voucher to
a person.
It was
the third
voucher for
the year.
And as I
was there
dropping it
off I
could see
on the
table the
kinds of
groceries that
they were
buying.
And I
was thinking
wow.
They still
managed to
find room
in their
very very
tight budget
for a
16 pack
of carbonated
soft drinks
and numerous
bags of
chips and
junk food.
I told
them that
our policy
was three
vouchers and
that this
was the last
for the
year.
But that
if he
was willing
to accept
help with
learning some
good financial
management skills
I'd be happy
to help with
that.
I'd be happy
to look over
your expenses
for the month
and see if we
can bring those
down.
Happy to look
at how we
can bring your
income up.
Just brainstorm
some ideas.
Come up with a
monthly budget.
I offered him
a free
Christian
financial management
course that he
could take
online.
And of course
he expressed
his thanks and
said he'd think
about it.
but I didn't
hear much
from him
for a long
time after
that.
Sometimes not
having any
money is
just a symptom.
What's the
deeper need?
Surprisingly,
the loving thing
to do in
certain situations
is not to
give more
money but to
talk with that
person.
Spend time
with them.
understand what
is it that
they really
need and
what are some
solutions that
can help
meet that,
that I can
provide.
Surprisingly,
the unloving
thing to do
might be to
just throw a
$20 bill at
them and say
hope this helps
and drive away.
So we have to
be wise in how
we apply this
imperative of
Jesus about
lending to
those who
ask.
We can't
expect that
what we give
or lend will
always be used
wisely or
well.
But we
remember,
as Jesus
says here,
that God
is kind
to the
ungrateful
and the
wicked.
In Matthew's
gospel,
Matthew 5,
verse 45,
Jesus says
that God
causes his
son to
rise on
the evil
and the
good.
And he
sends rain
on the
righteous
and the
unrighteous.
He is
merciful.
He doesn't
just deal
with us
as we
deserve.
And so as
his children,
there may be
times when we
give or we
lend at cost
to ourselves
only to watch
it be squandered
or misused.
But just like
we haven't used
all that God
has entrusted
to us
perfectly,
then he
continues to
be generous
and giving
to us
so we
should be
to others.
Let's
remember again
that the
day of
reward
is coming
and for
every wrong
we have
suffered,
for every
unkind thing
done or
said to
us,
if we
bear it
with grace
and return
only love,
our reward
will be
great on
that day.
We'll look
back on those
moments and
think,
it's okay.
It hurt,
it cost,
but God
has now
returned to
me far
more than
they took
away.
So we're
meant to
let that
promise of
reward
motivate us
and strengthen
us and
encourage us
when we
feel the
struggle
and pain
and loss
from others.
There's
another thing
here that
Jesus says
to motivate
us and
we've talked
about this
already in
the past
weeks,
but you
can never
hear this
too much.
God is
only asking
us to be
like him
and to
do as he
does.
He is
like a
father
teaching
us,
his
children,
to do
what is
good and
right,
to do
as he
does.
And what
is God
like?
If someone
asks you
that question,
what's the
first thing
that comes
to mind?
What is
God like?
The typical
words we
might use
are loving,
merciful,
gracious,
forgiving,
and Jesus
uses these
words,
mercy and
love,
in this
passage,
throughout
this
section,
but in
this entire
passage,
I love
these words
of Jesus
the most.
What is
God like?
Let me
tell you,
says Jesus,
he is
kind
to the
ungrateful.
He is
kind
to the
ungrateful.
He is
kind
to the
wicked.
And it's
really just
another way of
saying that
he's
merciful,
that he
doesn't
treat us
according to
what we
deserve,
but so
much better
than we
deserve.
But I
don't know,
something about
the way this
is worded,
it just gets
to my heart
every time I
read it.
He is a
God who is
kind to the
ungrateful.
people.
And I
think of my
own life,
and I
think,
have I
been as
grateful to
God as
I should
be for
all the
good things
that he
has done
to me
and for
me?
Not even
close.
Have I
been truly
wicked?
wicked.
The Bible
convicts me
day after
day,
week after
week,
of my
sins.
So many
times I
couldn't even
hope to
keep count.
If God
was to deal
with me as
I really
deserve,
but he
hasn't.
And so
really what
he's saying
is,
Joshua,
be like
your father
in heaven,
even to
the ungrateful
in your
life,
even to
the wicked,
the unkind,
to anyone
and everyone.
How can
we receive
such kindness
from God?
God,
and then
turn around
and withhold
that from
others?
The greatest
motivation
and power
to live
like Jesus
commands
here,
I would
suggest it
comes not
from the
reward that's
promised,
but from
looking at
what God
himself is
like and
just reflecting
on how
he has
loved me.
despite my
mistreatment
of him.
And when
we come to
that place
of gazing
on him
and seeing
his mercy,
his grace
towards us,
his goodness
to us
who have
ignored him,
hated him,
insulted him,
how he has
given to
us without
expecting
anything in
return,
suddenly it's
not too
hard to
love our
enemies
or to
do good
to those
who hate
us or to
lend without
expecting anything
back.
instead it
becomes the
most wonderful
and beautiful
privilege in
the world
to imitate,
even to
try to
imitate our
glorious
father.
Let's pray.
Lord,
these words
are hard
to live
out and
we can
probably all
think of
situations
where we
have been
wronged
and hurt.
But I
pray that
you would
give us
the strength
by your
Holy Spirit
in us
to live
like this
even now
in those
relationships
that are
still in
this spot.
Help us
not to
give up
on doing
what is
right and
what is
good.
Fill us
with a
love that
goes beyond
that natural
gut instinct
that we
have to
retaliate or
to ignore
or to push
away.
Let us
bring glory
to your
name.
help us
in this
we pray.
In
Jesus
name.
Amen.