Thank you all so much for leading us in worship.
If you'll turn with me this morning to Luke chapter 6, Luke 6, we're in the middle of
a sermon Jesus preached to his followers as he began to shape a new community in very
unique ways.
Last week we saw that he was calling them to have new values, strange values, very distinctive
from those around them.
They were going to be very different in what they treasured.
So what would it look like when his followers began to live according to those unique values?
You've got to expect at this point that the ethics Jesus calls his followers to will be
unique as well if they're going to reflect those unique values.
If you ask anyone in the world, just someone on the street, what Jesus told his followers
to do and they could only give you one word to answer, what word do you think they might
pick?
What word would come to mind for you?
A lot of them would say love, like I just heard several of you say.
Love.
Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French general, would agree with that answer.
He reportedly once said, Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires, but
upon what did they depend?
Force.
Centuries ago, Jesus started an empire that was built on love and even to this day, millions
will die for him.
An empire built on love.
Love.
That's the essence of this new ethic Jesus has for his followers.
Well, that doesn't sound real unique, right?
I mean, lots of people recommend love, parents, preachers, politicians, singers.
You know, everybody talks about all you need is love, love.
I'll stop.
Love is all you need, right?
Love.
Should be easy.
This should be a happy sermon, a very simple, short, you hope.
Jesus does indeed call us to love, but this is unique love.
It's shaped by these new values he's given us.
I wouldn't use the word easy for what Jesus is about to call us to.
Hear God's word at Luke 6, verse 27.
Timeless truth from the God who designed us and this world.
He speaks.
Hear his voice.
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who abuse you.
To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.
And from one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.
Give to everyone who begs from you.
And from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you?
For even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount.
But love your enemies.
And do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.
And your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High.
For he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Pray with me.
Father, we give you thanks for these, your words.
But we struggle with living like this.
They convict us even upon the reading of them.
We do ask that you would give us your heart.
Your love.
Your eyes to see what it will look like to love others in the ways that you have called us to.
Jesus, we ask that you would do that work in us this morning.
That it would be a change of heart that flows out and changes our lives.
And impacts many around us.
Would you work by your spirit through your word this morning to change us?
We ask in your name.
Amen.
I am not usually a fan of corny acrostics.
Actually, maybe I am.
But I don't want you to think that I am.
And I saw one this week that is a little bit helpful, even if corny.
Love.
What's love?
Love is living our values every day.
I think that's helpful to us.
Because to talk about love here, we need to see the connection between where we were last week in the first part of Jesus' sermon.
Talking about our values.
What we value.
And what it looks like now this week to connect that to how we live.
To what actually shows up in our lives day in and day out.
We said there were these new values Jesus was calling his followers to have.
You may remember some of them.
They would value eternity above today.
They would treasure Jesus more than the things of this world.
They would consider the have-nots more blessed than the haves.
No big deal.
That's easy, right?
You got those all fixed in your hearts this week.
Those of you who were here last time, a few days to straighten that out.
Now that you've got the values straight, let's talk about the change that's taking place in our lives.
Having set our hearts in the appropriate direction, what does that look like when we've lived following them?
Challenging values and this will be challenging this morning as well.
Jesus begins to tell his followers what it looks like when we live our values every day.
When love is a feeling that flows into action.
When the truth of the gospel and the values of the kingdom aren't just theoretical,
but they begin to permeate every aspect of our lives.
We're different people.
We do different things.
What's that going to look like?
So I'll describe the love that Jesus is talking about here as being so full in Jesus
that you give relentlessly with no need to receive repayment.
Do you see in that the connection to the values?
Jesus is the treasure.
We have him.
Nothing else is needed to make us blessed.
To make us full.
And so we share everything with others.
We give away.
Tangible, intangible.
We'll talk about the details.
Let me say up front that this is a mindset Jesus is calling us to have.
An approach to all of life.
A perspective on every situation we walk into that Jesus is giving us.
This is the only disclaimer I'll give this morning.
It's not a checklist that we go complete.
A few things we need to do and be finished with.
So there are times when we must love and we must use godly wisdom as to what that love will look like.
It's not a detailed explanation of every particular situation we'll find ourselves in.
So love in an abusive relationship for instance may look like getting out.
Finding safety.
Getting help for yourself and for the other person.
That may be what love looks like.
But regardless love is the ethic.
The lens through which we are to approach all of life.
What specifically does this love look like that Jesus calls us to?
First it is intentionally for those who are against you.
Verse 27.
I say to you who hear love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who abuse you.
Martin Luther King Jr. was in prison in 1963 when he worked on polishing up his sermon on love your enemies.
He was held against his will by those working against him and against his heart for our country.
His enemies were powerful and he was suffering as a result of that.
But it was in that great sermon that he said,
Hate cannot drive out hate.
Only love can do that.
Have we not come to such an impasse in our modern world that we must love our enemies or else?
1963.
And King proposed a new path.
To our most bitter opponents we say,
We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering.
We shall meet your physical force with soul force.
Do to us what you will and we shall continue to love you.
To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.
And from one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.
This is revolutionary.
In case you hadn't noticed.
Love has a target, Jesus says.
And it's targeted towards someone.
Perhaps towards someone who's targeted you for ill.
And Jesus says,
You target them for good.
Perhaps the person has betrayed you.
Perhaps the person has excluded you.
Perhaps the person has let you down.
Failed you.
Disappointed you.
Caused you great harm.
And Jesus is calling us to move intentionally toward those pushing away from us.
To begin demonstrating love toward those who don't deserve it.
Toward those our hearts are rightfully struggling to have warm feelings towards.
See that's part of what agape love means.
That's the word in the Greek for love in this passage.
You may know there are several types of love in Greek.
This is not the word for romantic love.
This is also not the word for appreciative love.
Like, I love Dabo Swinney because I think he's a great coach and I root for his team.
Or like, you love your friend because you think they're a great friend and they like the things that you do.
You appreciate that about them.
This is not that word either.
No, the word Jesus uses for love has in mind, in the word itself, love for the unlovely.
The undeserving.
Because it's an enemy you choose to love.
Not something you see and appreciate in them.
But someone you choose to love.
Being intentionally for those who are against you.
To our most bitter opponents, we say, do to us what you will and we shall continue to love you.
Secondly, when we find those who are against us, love is then actively sacrificial in its generosity.
Look at verse 29.
I can't read these verses without picturing the priest in Les Mis.
You may know the story that the thief, Jean Valjean, has taken advantage of his hospitality.
Has assaulted the priest and has run off with the valuable silverware.
And then Valjean is caught and dragged back to stand before the priest, guilty and ashamed.
And his head is down.
And the priest is upset with Valjean.
But only because he hasn't taken enough.
Valjean meets grace when he comes back before the priest.
It's agape love.
Why did you leave the candlesticks?
They're valuable.
Please take them too.
Now let him go.
A crazy, perhaps seemingly irresponsible love.
A self-giving.
That is exactly what this agape love means.
It's agape love is the love of someone higher, lifting one who is lower.
Bending to aid one who is in need.
And again, just as with the directive to be intentional in seeking out and moving toward our enemies,
the passionate and personal nature of agape love is significant here.
Being actively generous with our forgiveness, with our finances, whatever it happens to be.
Seeking out the one we would show love to.
Finding the one who needs, not the one who deserves.
I often think to myself when I've been offended,
well, I'm willing to forgive.
I'm such a gracious guy.
I'm willing to forgive him as soon as he comes groveling back to ask for it.
As soon as he realizes what he's done and repents,
I'll be here to forgive.
And I feel very gracious and very Christian when I sit back and think I'd be delighted to show forgiveness.
Jesus says, no, no, no.
No, no.
Don't wait for him.
Go to him.
Don't sit back and wait for him to ask.
Move toward your enemy preemptively.
Don't sit back and wait for him to steal your shirt when he takes your coat.
Go ahead and give him the shirt.
At the same time.
That's love.
That's Christian.
That doesn't make any sense.
Unless you've received forgiveness like that from someone who moved toward you.
That doesn't make any sense unless you're so full of the treasure of Jesus
that giving away the shirt off your back again and again could never make you empty.
That giving away the vengeful thirst for justice against your enemy,
giving away the moral high ground against your enemy who's not as good as you,
could never make you empty.
When you've been given to like that,
so full that nothing could take it away from you,
Jesus says you go running around looking for others to give to.
The so-called golden rule right there in verse 31.
As you wish that others would do to you,
do so to them.
Kids, your parents have told you that a hundred times, haven't they?
Treat other people the way you want them to treat you,
and it's still hard to do, isn't it?
You know why it's so hard?
Because they may not treat us back that way.
You may be kind to them,
and they may still be mean back to you,
and that's hard.
It doesn't guarantee that you'll feel good
and that nice things will happen to you.
It actually requires that you think of them first
and how you would want them to feel
rather than how you feel and what happens to you.
But think for just a second, kids.
If you were lonely,
would you want someone to come include you?
If you had hurt someone or said something mean about them,
would you want them to come and forgive you
and tell you it was okay?
If you needed help,
would you want someone to help you just enough
to kind of get you by
or help you a whole lot,
more than you even thought you needed?
What would show you that they really loved you
and cared about you?
Kids, we are to love others so much
that we have to sacrifice ourselves
to give of ourselves,
to be so generous to them
that it actually costs us something,
that we would share something
that means something to us.
Now that's not easy or normal, is it?
Parents, let me ask you this.
How many arguments have you broken up
where both of your kids were insisting
on the other one getting to have their way?
Just imagine it.
You've had this happen many times.
You walk into the room
to the argument that starts with,
dear sweet sister,
I want you to use the doll first.
To which you hear the response,
no darling sister,
I insist that you play with it first.
And the response is,
mom,
why do we always have to do things
the way I want to do them?
She won't play with the doll first.
You interrupt those arguments a lot?
Happens at our house all the time.
We're very spiritual.
That's not natural.
That's not usually the way things are, right?
Thankfully, we grow out of that
me first mentality
and we learn to love
like Jesus is describing
by sometime in early adulthood.
So kids,
now we get to pick on the parents
a little.
How many kids have overheard
their parents saying,
whom would you like to have over
for dinner tonight, honey?
Is there anyone
you're really struggling
to get along with right now?
Let's get them over here.
Spend some time together.
Or,
you know whom we really need
to pray for tonight, y'all?
That family that didn't invite us
to the party
and then went
and told hateful lies
about us to everyone
who was there.
That they seem to be going
through some hard things
and let's pray that God
would meet them there
and bless them.
Can't we pray for them
together tonight?
Is that what happens
at your dinner table?
Those conversations sound
as rare as the
kids' argument I made up?
Seem unnatural to you?
They are.
But I promise
they're not exaggerated
from what Jesus
is calling us to.
Not in the slightest.
I'm taking it easy,
I think,
in those examples.
And that's part of
why we know
that this kind of love
is not natural
to any of us.
No matter what age
we are,
it's entirely
supernatural.
Look at verse 32.
If you love those
who love you,
what benefit is that to you?
Even sinners love
those who love them.
If you do good
to those who do good to you,
what benefit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
And if you lend to those
from whom you expect
to receive,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners
to get back the same amount.
Listen,
it's fine to hang out
with friends,
to host people for dinner
who will invite you
over next weekend,
to do someone else a favor
because they're doing
a favor for you.
That's fine.
Just don't think
it's unusual
or particularly Christian.
Do you want to be part
of something
that's not natural?
To be part of something
that is world-changing,
that shakes the way
things work
and transforms
a city or the world?
Do you want to be part
of something supernatural?
Verse 35.
Love your enemies.
Do good.
Lend expecting nothing
in return
and your reward
will be great
and you will be sons
of the Most High
for He is kind to whom?
To the ungrateful
and the evil.
Be merciful
even as your Father
is merciful.
When was the last time
you loved somebody
beyond their capability
to love you back?
When was the last time?
The last time
you had someone
in your home
who doesn't have
enough of a home
to invite you back
into theirs?
Gave to someone
financially
who does not have
the means
to pay you back
and probably never will?
Spoke well of someone
and got them in somewhere
when you know
they have no intention
of ever helping
or speaking well
of you.
Spent time investing
in a relationship
with someone
who could never
benefit you socially.
Prayed for God
to bless someone
that you know
isn't praying for you
unless it's
an imprecatory psalm
against you.
Those are the ones
about God please
get the wicked.
That may be the only thing
they'd ever pray for you.
Have you prayed for them?
Jesus says
pray
for those
who abuse you.
It may be the first step
we need to take.
Man if
several hundred of us
took Jesus
seriously
on this thing
it would be
so transformative.
I dare say
it would change
the character
of this city
if not
the broader world
if we actually
lived
like this.
day in
and day out
it's not
normal.
It's supernatural.
See that's what
Jesus says
be merciful
even as your
father
is merciful.
How's that?
What's the
mercy of God
his
grace
his love
look like
toward us?
It's this
agape love
we've been talking
about this morning.
One last thing
about agape
love
in the Bible
agape
is most often
God's
love.
Romans 5
gives us
one picture
of it
while we were
still weak
at the right
time
Christ died
for the ungodly.
God shows
his love
for us
in that
while we were
still sinners
Christ died
for us.
If while we were
enemies
we were
reconciled
to God
by the
death
of his
son
much more
now that
we're
reconciled
shall we
be saved
by his
life.
We were
enemies
of God
attacking
him
pushing
away
from him
wishing
harm
on him
even at
times
unknowingly
by pursuing
our own
agendas
rather than
his
wanting
what we
wanted
rather than
what he
called us
to.
And he
was
for
those
who
were
against
him
loving
unlovely
enemies.
In fact
his
love
was
actively
sacrificial
in its
generosity.
He gave
of himself
the higher
bending
down
to the
lower
and sending
his son
for us.
He poured
himself
out
sacrificially
not just
giving
until it
hurt
but even
to the
point
of death
and as
he died
praying
father
forgive
them
because
we were
so
lovable
he did
that.
Now
weak
ungodly
enemies
he did
that
to make
a wretch
his treasure
in the words
of the song
we sang
earlier.
I know
you've
heard this
before
I'm not
giving new
information
to most
of you
but just
stop and
marvel at
that for
a minute
God
loves
you
like
that
that's
how
merciful
your
heavenly
father
had been
he could
have had
anything
or anyone
he wanted
in his
entire
creation
and he
chose
a wretch
to be
his
treasure
that's
supernatural
love
I love
the story
Corrie
Ten Boom
tells
of the day
she met a
man who
had been
a Nazi
prison guard
at the
concentration
camp where
she had been
a prisoner
this man
is an
enemy
whose face
she could
never forget
she knew him
as soon as
she saw him
there in
Munich
at a
church
where she
was speaking
on forgiveness
and he
comes
running up
to her
afterwards
and he
said I've
become a
Christian
I know
God has
forgiven me
for all
the cruel
things I
did
but I
want to
hear it
from your
lips
as well
Fraulein
will you
forgive me
she
struggled
she felt
nothing
warm
at first
there was
no love
for him
in her
then she
remembered
in that
moment
that Christ
had died
for this
man
how could
she demand
more payment
from him
and so she
held out her
hand with
yet no words
to say to
him
and suddenly
she felt a
love for the
man that she
never expected
to come
she writes
this
I had
never
known
God's
love
so
intensely
as I
did
then
so I
discovered
that it
is not
on our
forgiveness
she didn't
have any
of that
in her
any more
than on
our
goodness
that the
world's
healing
hinges
but on
him
when he
tells us
to love
our enemies
he gives
along with
the command
the love
itself
isn't
God like
that
doesn't
he give
exactly
what he
commands
supernatural
love
that God
has poured
into us
in the
person
of Jesus
so that
we are
so full
that we
can give
it away
to others
with no
need of
repayment
there's
something else
about
Corey's
story
that I
really
love
she
explains
how
dependent
she
remained
on God
to give
her love
for her
enemies
she
writes
further
having
thus
in this
situation
with the
prison guard
learned to
forgive
in the
hardest
of
situations
I
never
again
had
difficulty
in
forgiving
I
wish
I
could
say
it
if
there's
one
thing
I've
learned
at
80
years
of
age
it's
that
I
can't
store
up
good
feelings
and
behavior
but
only
draw
them
fresh
from
God
each
day
she
confesses
as she
writes
this
that as
a 65
year old
some
friends
from her
church
wounded
her
deeply
and that
she
harbored
bitterness
against
them
it
became
in her
heart
something
that
ate
her up
it
caused
her
to have
sleepless
nights
it
caused
her
to
be
hateful
towards
them
and she
found
that forgiving
them
was as
supernatural
and as
much
something
she
needed
God's
love
for
as
forgiving
the
Nazi
prison
guard
years
before
you see
loving
your enemies
only comes
by drawing
fresh
from God
each
day
each
situation
each
moment
where the
truth
of God's
love
for us
has to
come
to bear
on that
relationship
and that
conversation
it's his
supernatural
love
that we
share
you know
that's what
we mean
when we
talk at
Southwood
about expressing
grace
we don't
just mean
being
kind of
nice
and friendly
to nice
church
people
who are
nice
to you
and say
nice
things
about
you
and so
that's
expressing
the grace
that we've
received
hogwash
the grace
we've
received
is so much
bigger
than that
isn't
it
it's
so much
more
amazing
than that
the grace
we receive
is not
to a bunch
of nice
people
the grace
that's been
poured
into our
lives
is the
kind of
grace
where
wretches
become
treasures
expressing
grace
as this
self
sacrificing
enemy
pursuing
gratuitously
generous
intentionally
self
giving
love
permeating
all of
our lives
in every
relationship
even the ones
we don't
want to
have
it pushes
us
towards
them
that's the
kind of
supernatural
love
Jesus
calls
all his
followers
to have
it's not
just for
things I've
told stories
about this
morning
like
healing
racism
and
reconciling
world wars
too
I think
Corey's
story
reminds us
that
we all
have
people
in our
lives
who are
hard
to love
don't we
who comes
to mind
for you
who is it
in your
life
that's
hard
to love
for you
sometimes
it may
be a
spouse
sometimes
a child
sometimes
a parent
a boss
a homeless
beggar
a behaviorally
challenged
kid
in your
class
a socially
challenged
adult
in your
neighborhood
a fellow
church
member
and Jesus
says
in all of
those
situations
I've
poured
my love
into
you
so that
it would
overflow
from you
to them
that's
how it's
supposed to
work
beyond
what they
deserve
beyond
what you
can afford
that you
would love
that's
what it
looks like
to walk
around
in daddy's
footsteps
like the
little boy
you know
little boys
who want
to do
everything
just like
their dad
I want
to be
just like
dad
and they're
trying to
mimic
his
every
move
that's
what it
looks like
to be
merciful
as your
heavenly
father
is
merciful
Korean
pastor
Yang
Won
son
lost
his
two
eldest
sons
at the
hands
of
communist
rebels
who
murdered
them
during
an
uprising
in
1948
shortly
after the
event
police
apprehended
a young
man
in
connection
to
their
murders
and
pastor
son
said
I demand
to speak
to that
man
who
killed
my
sons
when he
sat
before
his
great
enemy
for the
first
time
pastor
son
said
these
words
to him
don't
worry
I
have
already
forgiven
you
and
God
is
longing
to
forgive
you
too
he
asked
that
the
young
man
not
be
punished
but
instead
that
he
be
forgiven
released
actually
released
into
his
custody
to
be
adopted
as
his
son
in
place
of
the
two
sons
he
had
lost
at
the
hands
of
this
young
man
years
later
chai
son
the
former
communist
rebel
wrote
to his
adopted
father
not
because
I
want
to
gain
heaven
or
to
escape
hell
but
because
of
your
love
I
have
come
to
believe
in
Christ
seem
impossible
to
love
like
that
the
father
adopts
as
his
own
son
the
one
who
has
killed
his
son
that's
the
good
news
of
the
gospel
isn't
it
that's
exactly
how
God
has
loved
us
who've
laid
our
hands
on
his
son
only
to be
welcomed
into
his
family
that
kind
of
supernatural
love
belongs
only
to
God
and
to
those
with
whom
he
shares
it
to
those
he
is
remaking
in
his
image
to
you
and
to
me
whom
he
created
for
this
whom
he
called
to
it
and
whom
he
is
enabling
even
now
to
love
our
enemies
just
like
our
heavenly
father
let's
pray
father
thank you
for
your
love
because
we so
often
fashion
ourselves
as
good
people
we
forget
that
your
love
is
designed
to
seek
out
wretches
and
make
them
your
treasure
we'd
so
much
rather
love
good
people
than
be
called
to
seek
out
wretches
but
you're
making
us
to
share
your
heart
so
would
you
do
that
put
someone
on
our
minds
now
bring
someone
into
our
path
this
week
give
us
your
eyes
as
we
prayed
earlier
that
we
would
see
and
share
your
love
with
others
we
would
overlook
with
those
who
don't
deserve
it
with
those
we
are
certain
we
can't
afford
to
give
it
to
make
us
a
new
community
together
for
the
sake
of
your
kingdom
we
ask
in
Jesus
name
Amen
People
They