Untitled Sermon (9)

Pray

Thirty-one-year-old Jermaine Wilson grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas selling drugs out of his childhood apartment. He started using drugs at age 11 and was in juvenile detention by 15. By 21, he was in the maximum-security wing at Lansing Correctional, a state prison in Kansas.

It was there that the convicted drug-dealer came to the most important realization of his life. Jermaine put it this way: "If I don't change, it's either going to be two things that are going to happen: I'm either going to spend the rest of my life in prison or dead in a casket.”

In a strange turn of events, Jermaine is now the mayor of Leavenworth. He credits the transformation to God, education, and volunteer work. After prison, he started serving his community and got his felony record expunged, paving the way for a political run.

Today, Jermaine couldn't be more opposite. The school district that once expelled him now welcomes him back with open arms. He also works for a non-profit that helps ex-cons find and keep good jobs. Of course, he has his duties as the mayor. It's all made possible, he said, by the gift of incarceration.

That's why I'm here, because if I wouldn’t have gone to prison, I would have never had the time to think. I would have never had an opportunity to build a relationship with God. I don't suggest prison. But one thing I tell you, we all go through a time in our life when we hit rock bottom. When you're at rock bottom there's only one other place to go, and that's up.

We hear this story this morning, and the truth is… for people like Jermaine Wilson… They know what it means for most of society to write them off. Many people would be quick to say… They did the crime, their doing the time… their getting what they deserve…. Many people would be quick to pass judgement… Many people would be quick to be heartless, to express empathy, to show compassion…

What about us as Christians? If you were here a few weeks ago, you’ll recall we discussed Simon a pharisee, who invited Jesus over for dinner. While Jesus was at his house, a particular woman showed up… now she wasn’t invited. She wasn’t a guest of Simon…and yet, she showed up anyway… and when she arrived, she couldn’t stop crying. She couldn’t contain herself. She cries so much, that she wets Jesus feet with her tears. She then goes on to dry them with her hair. She anoints Jesus with expensive perfume, and kisses his feet, and pours herself out…

Luke 7:44-47 tells us: 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

So, we see this woman has poured herself out on Christ… Her great love has shown… and from there, we used this sermon concept and talked about what it means to show love. Great love towards God and others… This morning, we’re going to continue with the same sermon concept. If you have your bibles turn with me to Luke 6. 3 sermon points this morning. 1. Great Love forgives. 2. Great love pursues Holiness. 3. Great Love Does not judge.

1. Great Love forgives

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

As we look at the scripture this morning, we find that Jesus is gathered around his disciples and a crowd that has gathered… and he is speaking to them during what’s commonly referred to as the sermon on the plain. During the course of this sermon, Jesus would discuss several topics… ultimately which stem around living for Christ, and loving others.

And 2 weeks back, our focus was on a couple verses earlier in the sermon…. We looked at Luke 6:27-28 which says: 27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. and from these verses, our sermon points were 1. Great love pursues our enemies. 2. Does Good 3. Prays.

This morning, the scripture shifts, and Jesus addresses Judging others, holiness, and forgiveness. And again, we read in verse 37: 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

As we talk about forgiveness at first, we know the word this morning… for as it says in Ephesians 4:32, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

The idea of being kind and forgiving towards each other, is a concept that we’re familiar with… it’s a basic truth of our Christian faith that we learn from a young age (Jordyn)… but I want us to consider something… Although God is forgiving, in the old testament… and we even have examples of Forgiveness expressed, as was the case with Joseph towards his brothers for instance…

This is the first time, the New Testament, is the first time (believe it or not) where, we’re commanded to forgive others… You see, it’s one thing for God to forgive, it’s another thing to read about examples of forgiveness… it’s another thing to make it personal… it’s another thing to forgive others, for ourselves…

And yet, the commandment is this 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

I’m reminded of the merciful King in Matthew 18 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[b] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

As we look at the scripture, Jesus uses an example of a king who was forgiving… who gave a great amount of grace and mercy to a servant, who canceled the debt that was owed… We see however that the servant does not appreciate the full extent of the grace that was given to him… and so, his fellow servant, who owed him a small amount of money… was not shown the same grace, was not shown the same forgiveness… to which we read:

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Jesus would use this example for us, to show that we need to forgive… whether we feel like it or not… that is the standard… 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Friends, we’ve been forgiven… we’ve been shown love… the standard… the expectation for us this morning, is for us to forgive others…

Showing Love friends, means forgiveness… Romans 5:8 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Friends, would we be people that forgive… (a few weeks back) I mentioned the idea that some of us, are carrying around a long chain… a laundry list perhaps of people who have hurt us… maybe a parent, maybe a spouse, maybe a co-worker… every day, we pick up the same weight, the same laundry pile… going though life, towing it behind us (like a water skier…)

Friend, set it free. 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. You’ve been forgiven… now would you forgive this morning.

2. Great love gives

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

As we go back to the scripture, Jesus said 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I didn’t realize this at first glance, but here, Jesus is actually using farming terms. In studying, here’s what I found I explained:

The measuring of the corn is a process which is carried out according to an established pattern. The seller crouches on the ground with the measure between his legs. First, he fills the measure three-quarters of the way full and gives it a good shake with a rotary motion to make the grains settle down. Then he fills the measure to the top and gives it another shake. Next, he presses the corn together strongly with both hands. Finally, he heaps it into a cone, tapping it carefully to press the grains together; from time to time, he bores a hole into the corn and pours a few more grains into it, until there is literally no more room for a single grain. In this way, the purchase is guaranteed an absolutely full measure; it cannot hold more.

In reading this… I couldn’t help but think of cereal, or most things we buy today at the grocery store… It seems like once upon a time, a box of cereal for instance was full… you buy a 10-ounce box of cereal, you get a 10-ounce box of cereal… you don’t get, 8, you don’t get 7, or … you get 10 ounces.

For this culture, they knew what they were doing…. They packed their measure full, so full, that it was packed, there was no more room. And Jesus is speaking here and uses that analogy. He says: 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

What does that mean? It means you can’t outgive God. It means He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. It means everything in this world belongs to God.

Proverbs 3:9-10 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Again, we can’t outgive God… and when we give to the Lord, or to someone else, we should ultimately be doing unto the Lord… not unto man.

Matthew 5:42 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You see one of the best ways you can show love is by giving. Giving your: 1. Time, 2. Talent, 3. Treasure

I think of my wife this morning… anyone ever take the spiritual gift test? Yeah, of us, has a unique way in which we speak and receive love… and when I met Kim, I took her out to dinner, I bought her gifts, I paid her compliments… I expressed myself to her by giving myself away…

But suppose there was none of that, suppose I never her called her, suppose I never bought her anything, suppose I never spent time with her… do you think I would be married to Kim today? Probably not… Friends, when we love someone, we give ourselves to that other person.

Where do we get the idea of giving ourselves and then expressing Love.

Well, we all know John 3:16… God so loved the world… He Gave…

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Give out of obedience, yes… Give out knowing you can’t outgive God, yes… but Give, because he Gave first… give out of love.

3. Great Love Does not judge.

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Goes on to say a few verses later:

41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

As we go back to the scripture. Jesus calls his disciples, and the crowd gathered and says do not judge, do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven…

The word Judge here does not include the idea of encouraging others in their walk with Christ and provided spiritual discipline at times (if necessary…) but the idea in view is to not set yourself up in a position on the judgement seat… It’s the idea of not putting yourself on the kings throne to be critical of someone else…

And Jesus would use this comparison he would say:

41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

In this scripture, the word speck refers to a small piece of wood. Imagine a small piece of saw dust that you might have from sanding a wooden project… In comparison the word plank, refers to a massive log… The type of log in view would be a large beam, often used for the floor or the roof of a building. And Jesus is saying, 41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

In other words, deal with yourself first… Focus on yourself…

I’m reminded of a story I came across this week that explains the following. It states:

We all like rooting for the underdog—but at the World's Ugliest Dog Contest, that word takes on a whole new meaning. For years, the competition has taken place to "celebrate the imperfections of man's best friend." Many of the dogs were rescued from harsh living conditions and have issues like acne or tongues that refuse to stay in their mouths. For their devoted owners, however, such superficialities hardly matter—with one owner referring to her eight-year-old Chinese Crest, Zoomer, as her "sexy boy."

The contest event lineup includes "a red carpet walk” and “Faux Paw Fashion Show”; the dogs are sized up based on "first impressions, unusual attributes, personality, and audience reaction." The winner receives prize money and a trophy—but another award, the Spirit Award, "is presented to a dog and owner who have overcome obstacles or provide service to their community."

Obviously, this is a bit of a silly competition. Imagine though… if the dogs, could judge each other… and say “oh you’re good looking…” I mean, they’re all ugly… there all in the same camp… none of them has anything going on when you get down to it…

In the same way…In our sin… we’re a mess. The bible says: there is no one righteous no not one…

We’ve all sinned… we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God….

Ephesians 2:12-13 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Friend… Do not judge…

When we don’t judge, but when we humble ourselves… when we act out of humility… this is love.

Call the elders up at this time as we prepare for communion.

- How are we doing in loving others today? Someone we need to forgive? Give

- Pride has crept in… Tend to judge others

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.1 Cor 11:28

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 1 cor 11:23-24

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 cor 11:25-26