Spiritual Economy-Week 1

Luke 6:27–36 NIV

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “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.

One of the currencies of God’s Spiritual Economy is Kindness

This isn’t a financial conversation. Not directly at least.

But Jesus uses this word ‘credit’ and talks a lot about being paid back. And I think he wants us to understand how the Spiritual economy works.

Kindess to people who pay it back is just a transaction

Jesus says - Even sinners do good to those who are good to them, or love people who love them back.

Then he connects it to giving a loan. Giving someone money with the full expectation that you’ll get it back. He says, that satisfies the world’s expectations of generosity. But that’s not what God is pushing for.

If we understand things like, generosity, kindness, love, as payments OUT of some account in us - often times, we’re unwilling to do it unless we have assurances that it’ll come back.

So what’s our actual value there? is it generosity - or is it ensuring that our account is always as full as we want it to be?

We often look for payback in more ways than we realize

We automatically default to financial returns. If i give out money, and don’t get back money, then i automatically sacrificed, yes?

But do you get back ANYTHING? do you get back recognition, or praise, or kindness, or a favour down the road?

Subconsciously, I think we default to this transactional-based kindness. That’s why Jesus says - it’s so easy, even evil people can do it.

Because it’s simple. We’re built for perceiving and appreciating value. A life where everything is worthless is nihilism.

But then our approach to living becomes on giant effort to accumuluate the most value for ourselves. We may not get it in dollars, but maybe it’s pats in the back, or quantity of friends, or recognition, or even just the good feeling of blessing people we care about.

Be honest - What payback do you live for?

ME - Understanding. I don’t care if people pat me on the back and say, ‘what you did was amazing, i’m so happy’. And I could care less if I get another dollar from someone I gave one too. But i do get rattled if people are like ‘I have no idea why you did that’ and it was something important to me.

What feels like a deposit in your account on this side of eternity from other people?

In the Spiritual Economy, Kindness is about giving - when we won’t get it back

Jesus goes through some wild situations here.

The way i see it, there’s a few levels. (let’s use money as a root example. Someone is in a hard spot and needs money They come, ask nicely. ).

giving and expecting it back with interest

giving and expecting it back interest free (we think we’re generous!)

Giving and saying, hey, if you can pay it back great, if not, that’s fine (this is awesome, don’t get me wrong).

Giving and saying, hey, it’s yours to keep, don’t worry about paying it back.

This sounds like the pinnacle. We often stop here.

BUT.

Jesus goes one step further. He doesn’t say, if someone asks you for a loan, give it for free instead (though I think he wants that). He says - if someone steals it from you, don’t demand it back.

He doesn’t say, only do good to those people who are good to you and just skip the repayment. He says - do good to those people who hate you.

This is the worst kind of having something withdrawn from our accounts. You get NONE of that payback in the here and now. No recognition, no credit, no appreciation.

And again - jesus totally wants us to be good to people who are good to us.

But he’s reminding us how things really work in God’s spiritual “economy”

This kind of sacrificial kindness is a credit to our accounts

STORY - Selling bottles of a sports drink. Sell 1 million an hour = no profit.

Jesus says - if you want your spiritual account with God to have a credit - practice sacrificial kindness. Not JUST kindness that may cost you in one way (money) and reward you in another (recognition, love, praise). Kindness that actively costs you, with no possibility of return.

Or in other words - Jesus says, the way to raise our spiritual accounts with God is to empty out our physical accounts here. To specifically target the times where we CAN’T get back.

And Jesus highlights two big ways as to how we can execute that kindness - and we’ll talk about that in the next 2 weeks.

But I want you to catch something that Jesus said at the end, and really let the words sink in.

Do you want a balanced account - or a full one?

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 NIV

If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

This is how we practice and demonstrate that we are children of God

I’ll read it again.

Luke 6:35 NIV

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.

Jesus says - if we want to practice the kind of kindness that God did, then we’d focus on our enemies.

Romans 5:10 reminds us that God saved us at a time, not just while we were broken and humbly trying to find our way back - he saved us while we were his enemies. Our sin was actively and purposefully working against God’s priorities. And God’s kindness came to us while we were still in our wickedness. This is God’s way.

If we want to be his children - this needs to be our way. Actively blessing in those circumstances with those who could be considered our enemies. Being goodness to those who persecute us.

And in doing that, showing a kind of kindness that is more powerful than the world itself. Because that’s where the world’s kindness ends - when it stops being paid back. But God’s kindness is greater than the world.

This is what Jesus did for us first

Colossians 1:21–23 NIV

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

Jesus in his kindness, wiped away our blemishes when we were covered. He threw out our accusations when we’ve earned every single one of them.

And he did it while we were still his enemies.

Titus 3:3–8 “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”

The things we are enslaved to (sinfulness) is our base desires and reactions - living in malice and envy, engaging in hatred. We were ‘foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures’. This is what God saved us FROM.

Salvation isn’t simply freedom from consequence. It’s freedom from the destructive and cyclical patterns of the world.

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s kindness came for us - and invited us into a new way of living. The way of kindness.

Paul literally says, stress these things, so that those people who put their hope in God ‘may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good’.

Ephesians 2:1–10 “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

When we lived in that way of gratifying our flesh, following its desires and thoughts - ‘we were by nature deserving of wrath’.

the ‘incomparable riches of his grace’ have been ‘expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus’

It was expressed this way so that no one could boast or say they had earned it or deserved it by works.

Colossians 3:1–17 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Process:

We prioritize setting our hearts on things above, rather than earthly things

We then put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature - the things that are obviously bad (sexual immorality, lust, evil desires, greed) but also those things we may have less of an issue with (anger, slander, filthy language, lying, division)

Then we cloth ourselves with God’s virtues

Notice how, removing the evil is about purging what’s inside of us - accepting the good is about putting on what’s not inside of us

2 Peter 1:3–11 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Peter calls the idea of refusing to put on things such as goodness, self-control, mutual affection, love, as ‘nearsightedness and blindness’

Nearsighted = unable to see something unless it’s right there in front of your face OR lacking foresight

Peter says - God has given us everything we need to live the godly life. Therefor, through this promise, we can ‘participate in the divine nature’ - aka, be more like Jesus

as we increase in these qualities, it will ‘keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of Jesus Christ’

It doesn’t just say, ineffective and unproductive. We could assume that means ‘we aren’t learning about Jesus’. It says - if you gain knowledge of Jesus, but don’t gain practice of these values - you are ineffective and unproductive.

These qualities are what cause us to make good decisions with ‘our accounts’.

Peter says, if we practice these values - we will ‘never stumble’

Luke 6:27–36 ““But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “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 go above and beyond (such as, giving out money rather than loaning it. Or loving our enemies rather than just our friends) to show ourselves as ‘children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.’

God’s kindness focuses on all the areas where it is NOT deserved or ‘warranted’.

Jesus says - be kind to the ungrateful and wicked, then you’ll show you’re children of God, because HE is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Jesus says, this kindness without merit is a ‘credit’ to us (IE, a deposit in our account). But being kind to people who were kind to us is merely a transaction - money in, money out.

Jesus says, the idea of transactional kindness is SO BASIC that even the evil people can do it ‘correctly’.

However - Jesus has made a MASSIVE deposit into our accounts (via salvation), and he STILL counts it a credit if we operate out of the power of the Spirit to pass kindness onto someone else.

He’s given us every single thing we could ever possibly need to be able to do it (2 Peter 1:3) AND he credits us if we simply spend out of that generous excess

In the greek, the word ‘credit’ is charis - which literally translates as ‘grace’.