Sacrificial Love

Sermon Introduction

One of my favourite things to do in Japan was to walk. I loved walking in Japan for two reasons...

First, near my apartment, there was this pond called Sayama-Ike, Sayama Pond, and it had a walking path around it.

The picture on the screen is from April 2018, when the Cherry Blossom trees were slowly starting to bloom.

Anyway, one lap around the pond was 2,850 metres; and from my apartment, walking to the pond, doing one lap, and walking back, is almost exactly 4 km…

The second reason I loved walking is because I moved to Japan, just one year after Pokemon Go came out…

And so, within like the first week I got to Japan, I got a these sweat resistant bluetooth earphones…

And then, almost every single day that I lived in Japan, I would put on an audio book, pull up Pokemon Go, and I would do a lap around Sayama Ike...

On the weekends, especially when there was an event going on in Pokemon Go, I could go even around 2 or 3 times in an afternoon.

And the result of that was, in the two years I lived in Japan, I walked just over 2,500km

Now, these are the reasons why I loved walking… but I also kind of had a goal with all the walking...

You see, around November 2017… just a couple of months after arriving in Japan, I was visiting the southern part of Japan, the island of Kyushu.

I took an overnight ferry to this Hot Spring town called Beppu, which that weekend I was there, happened to be hosting the finish line of the Yukuhashi ~ Beppu 100km walk.

The ferry terminal was along the route. and so I remember being so confused, getting off the ferry, and seeing the participants walking y completely exhausted...

Until, I finally made it to the centre of town where the finish line was, about 5km away, and somehow, despite my complete lack of Japanese, figured out what the event was all about.

And pretty much as soon as I found out, I wanted to do it!

I thought it would be a pretty cool challenge to work towards...

So in addition to this convenient pond to walk around, and playing Pokemon Go… I did all that walking in Japan so that maybe in a few years I could do that 100 km walk...

Unfortunately, despite the 2,500 km I walked over the two years I lived in Japan, I never did take up the challenge.

It’s just too hard!

Think about it this way… the average walking speed is about 5km per hour… And so it would take 20 hours of walking to complete the 100km…

Asuming of course you keep walking at the same pace and don’t slow down...

For most people, it is a challenge that is practically impossible to overcome.

Scripture Introduction

I’m telling you this story because the passage we are looking at today is the 100 km walk of the Bible… for many people it may seem like an impossible challenge.

In fact, almost every resource that I read in my research for this sermon said that it is one, if not the hardest thing the Jesus ever commanded his disciples to do.

Think about it… The greatest and second greatest commandments, according to Jesus - to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Those definitely makes sense.

But to love our enemies? To allow ourselves to be hated? abused? taken advantaged of?

And yet, it’s what Jesus taught his disciples should do.

Well, from my last sermon in this series, on the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Luke, we learned that God’s kingdom is anything but expected.

It’s a kingdom where the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the hated, and excluded are blessed…

Remember that the Beatitudes is deeply ironic, and it serves as an invitation to, and a preparation for this most difficult commands of Jesus.

Understanding the Challenge

And with that, let’s start off with understanding the challenge...

What does Jesus even mean with these commandments?

Because, there is certainly a legitimate question about how literally we are supposed to take them.

And this question comes right up from the very beginning of the passage...

Love, do good, bless, pray

Luke 6:27–28 “27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

So let me as you this, by show of hands, how many of you have enemies?

It’s not as if normal people live our lives with a mortal enemies list like we’re Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory...

It’s not exactly common to have people hate you… curse you… abuse you...

These are strong words!

Strong enough to maybe even think that Jesus might be exagerating in order to make a point...

The literary term for that is hyperbole…

Like for example, let’s say your sibling plays a prank on you…

He hides in your bedroom closet while you’re in the shower.

And as you’re opening the door, he jumps out and scares you...

What might some people say in that situation?

Maybe, “I’m gonna kill you...”

Which of course you don’t mean literally...

It’s just an expression of surprise, or anger… It’s hyperbole.

And given the fact that we don’t normally have enemies, or people who hate us, or curse us, or abuse us… it would seem Jesus’s commandment to love our enemies is just that… hyperbole.

However, don’t get me wrong here… Just because it’s an exageration doesn’t mean there isn’t a point behind it.

We might not have enemies… People around us who, let’s be honest, make life a little bit difficult.

There are people around us that maybe annoy us a little… or maybe we annoy them… maybe they just don’t like us for whatever reason, even if they don’t actually hate us.

We have people around us who might not be cursing us… but who curse at us for even the smallest infraction.

And certainly there are people who will abuse us in varying degrees… Physical, emotional, mental abuse...

These are the realities of living in a broken, sinful world...

And if Jesus is saying that the expectation is for us to love our enemies… to love those who are outright hostile to us… people who seek to destroy us...

How much more should we be loving these people who annoy us… who curse at us… and yes, even those who abuse us.

With that in mind, let’s turn to the examples that Jesus provides us for loving our enemies…

Concrete Examples

Luke 6:29–31 “29 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. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

So, once again, this may seem extreme… And also, somewhat implausible…

People just don’t go around slapping other people in the face… and if someone were to steal your coat, you probably shouldn’t get naked to give him the rest of your clothes...

What’s important here are not the specific commands, but the principles behind them...

First Principle - Grace

First of all, we should be gracious when insulted and rejected… When looking at the context of the early Christians - especially Jewish converts, that is very likely what turning the other cheek means...

They would have been met with violence, if they were to attempt to go to the synagogue…

This happened to the Apostle Paul countless times...

And yet, in every place he went, he would still make his first stop the synagogue...

He continued to minister to them despite their rejection and abuse.

Second Principle - Vulnerability

The second principle is that not to seek revenge, but remain vulnerable... Which is what it means to give your tunic if someone steals your cloak...

Considering the context, this is likely in reference to religious persecution… namely, the damage to your social reputation...

There may be people untrue and unkind things about us because of our faith… but we should continue to minister to them nevertheless.

However, there is one interesting application for this… And that is in becoming a missionary or maybe just generally sharing your faith...

Not many of us would put ourselves in dangerous situations where we might get jumped...

Except maybe as a missionary...

I remember for example, the senior associate pastor of my former church in Alberta, Pastor Mark...

He used to go on mission trips to Honduras, which is consistently in the top 10 places in the world with the highest homicide rate...

In fact, I’m pretty sure those years that he was going… in the early 2010’s, Honduras was number one for a couple of the years.

And yet, there he was, tall lanky white guy sharing the Gospel in San Pedro Sula, one of the most dangerous cities, in one of the most dangerous countries in the world..

Third Principle - Generosity

Third, we have the principle of generosity… which is what it means to give to those who beg...

Again, the point here is not to stop and give to every single panhandler that you see… Sometimes that might even be counterproductive, if it’s a junkie looking for their next fix.

In any case, giving to beggars is much too small of an action to fit the true meaning of this principle...

Generously meeting people’s needs.

Fourth Principle - Golden Rule

Finally, finally, we have what is popularly known as the Golden Rule...

This is pretty self evident, so I’m going to something a little different, check out these other versions of the “Golden Rule” in other religions and philosophies...

Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others - Buddhism

I will not myself do that which I account blameworthy in my neighbor - Herodotus

One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self. - Hinduism

What do you notice about these?

These are in the negative… don’t do something you don’t want done to yourself...

Which is reciprocity, certainly… but it’s a pretty low form of it isn’t...

What’s striking about the Christian Golden Rule is that it is not a passive rule, but an active one… not just merely refraining from doing bad things to others… but doing good to everyone…

And now, to be fair, there are positive versions of the Golden Rule in other religions also...

But remember the full context here… the context of loving your enemies...

The “others” here in Luke 6:31 include those who hate you… curse you… abuse you...

And so this is Jesus’ most difficult command to his disciples… In may be hyperbolic, but it is no less serious… and certainly no less difficult...

But before we can even catch a breath, Jesus moves on to provide what you might consider to be justifications for his commandment...

Justifying the Challenge

Now to be clear, Jesus does not need to justify anything to us...

He is the King, and what he says goes...

However, in the following verses, he graciously gives us a very straightforward, logical, justification for what he commands.

Luke 6:32–33 “32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”

Luke 6:34 “34 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.”

If you think, this makes complete sense...

Even sinners do these things… Even sinners have the capability of loving and being generous to one another...

Usually though, they do these things in order to get something in return...

Although I know what some of you might be thinking… We just finished looking at the Golden Rule… which some others call the principle of reciprocity...

The problem with that of course, is that the Golden Rule never assumes that what you do to others will be done to you...

It is a command to do to others what you want to be done to you… Regardless of what is done to you...

And so, doing good only to those who do good to you actually stands in contrast to the Golden Rule… It discriminates, while the Golden Rule is sacrifices...

Jesus’ expectation for his disciples is far greater than reciprocity...

Consider what Ephesians 4:17–18 says: “17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

So what does this say about the type of loving and giving that sinners are capable of?

It is “Futility”! It is a darkened understanding, it is alenation from the life of God… ignorance, and the result of their harndess of heart...

And frankly, if you look at our society around us, that’s becoming clearer and clearer isn’t it...

Love Wins… they declare… meaning they can love whomever they want regardless of what God says about it...

In reality, the type of love that they declare is deeply rooted in selfishness and self-centredness…

It is loving in order to be loved back.... doing good in order to receive good… lending in order to profit...

Romans 12:2, our theme verse for the year, gives us a higher calling:

“2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So where does this leave us...

Overcoming the Challenge

After all, it’s one thing to say that Jesus commands these things… it’s a whole other matter to apply these commandments?

How do we overcome this 100km challenge?

Well one way to to this is by changing our perspective...

You would be surprised how powerful this is...

ILLUSTRATIONHATED SUSHI NOW LOVE IT

Well, we begin with the reward...

Luke 6:35 “35 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.”

Heavenly Reward

Now, I know, I know… we shouldn’t be doing things in order to be rewarded...

We are saved by grace through faith, and not by works...

But, it’s right there in the text...

“Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High...”

The fact of the matter is, there is a great reward waiting for in heaven… And this verse is far from the only verse that talks about this...

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

So the teaching of scripture is clear… Everyone who believes will get to heaven… yes.... That already is the ultimate reward… When we are saved by Christ, we can spend an eternity with him...

But at the same time, that is a foundation for something even more… And some of us are building with gold and silver… others are building with wood, hay and straw...

And once we have passed through the refining fire...

There are those who will have a reward that survives, and those who don’t.

I don’t know what this might mean...

One suggestion is that while there is complete and absolute joy in heaven… Psalm 16:11 “11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

However, what will be different is that there are some of us who will have a greater capacity to experience God’s fullness of Joy…

John Piper says it like this: “Everyone will be full in heaven, but some containers will be larger than others.”

Think of it in this way:

Illustration: Me and James, Raptor fans, invitation courtside to the NBA Finals.

So how do we apply this? Well, here’s what...

Colossians 3:1–3 “1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

How can we love our enemies, be taken advantage of, suffer abuse, give generously, and expect nothing in return?

By having a heavenly perspective…

Finally, we have the final verse...

In the Image of God

Luke 6:36 “36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

Genesis 1:27 “27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Galatians 2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Colossians 1:28–29 “28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

As we have been shown mercy, so should we show mercy to others...

I love how one pastor puts it:

You’ve heard it said that hurt people hurt people. Well, could it be that the opposite is also true? Could it be that loved people love people?

This is a very tiny example of this…

But I’ve been open with you all about my anger issues while driving back when I was younger, right?

Well there was this one time, I’m happy to let you know that I didn’t let my anger get a hold of me.

So, I was leaving a plaza in Pickering… From the parking lot, I was making a left turn into a side street that connected with Kingston Rd.

And, so, as you normally do in that situation I looked to my right, saw a car headed in my direction from that side, so I paused, until he passed…

And as it did, I started turning my head to the left to check that direction also,

But, for some really reason, I still really don’t know why, I also started my turn.

My car was probably a quarter of the way into the street by the time I saw that a car was also coming from my left side.

Thankfully, both of us had good reflexes and braked in time to avoid a collision.

But as you can imagine, the driver was not happy.

He gave me a long honk on his horn. Then, he started rolling down his window, and was practically climbing over his wife, who was in the front passenger seat, to presumably give me a piece of his mind...

And that, of course, got me all riled up too… So I started rolling down my window… except by that I mean, I literally had to roll down my window… Because car didn’t have power windows...

Which was probably a good thing. Because in the time that it took for me to roll down my window, I guess I came to my senses...

I thought to myself, what are you doing? You’re the one who’s wrong here. You almost hit the guy because you didn’t look before starting the turn.

And so once my window was rolled down, I did what any sane person would do in that situation… I yelled, “I’m Sorry!”

You could see the look of shock, and then confusion on the guy’s face. In an instant, he went from like 100 to 30… he was still annoyed. but his anger was completely diffused.

I did the apology hand wave, kinda nodded my head, and said again, “I’m sorry… That was my bad”.