Luke 6:27-36

One Saturday morning to three weeks after we moved into a new house in Oxfordshire in England. There was a ring of the doorbell. I went to the doorbell open the door stood in the porch and that was a man of Vista does everyday, but I've never met him. It was the Milton then come to collect his money. So I went off and got my checkbook and I brought the checkbook back and he stood there and I said writing out the check and he said what he said to me you are a Christian on you. I guess I am he said so am I so we had a nice Christian chat?

Pay this money went away and I came back into the house.

How do you think you recognize that was a Christian? I said do you think it was my mother?

Maybe it's my smile, you know. Or maybe you need some kind of mystical meeting of ice. My wife is she usually just brought me down to it and said it was.

Probably the plaque on the wall behind you.

So if it's not your face or your smile or some mystical Meeting of Minds and hearts.

What is it that mocks out a Christian or Christians as different from everyone else about them? Well today we going to continue. Looking at one of the gospels in the New Testament of the Bible the Gospel of Luke. We've been doing this for some time. We now come to chapter 6 now, the Revival's provided for you really simple and have a Bible. I'm going to give you the page number and this blue one. If you go to church Bible that and it's page 1 0 3 4 1 0 3 4

I'm assuming those who view with other devices are not checking you text you or anything else. I never known Church these days what people are looking at it. Anyway, and Rachel's going to read to us is chapter 6, that's a big bowl at the 6 and then the small light to 27.326% cure Shield.

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 ill-treat you if someone slaps you on the 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. Then I'm serious too soon. If you love those, 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 a few lens to those from whom you are expect repayment. What credit is not to you? Even Sinners listen 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. Thank you Siri. I'm miles behind on the technology have it. Anyway, I hope you f****** pet.

So if you're listening to that, what is it the mugshot Christian she's assisting different from everybody else. Snapchat question

Jesus said love your enemies Jesus points out that the normal thing. between human beings even he says Those Who equals Sinners that's those who don't bother about go to till that lives that lives our own way even send this. Let those who love them. Love those who like them. live those who they like but Jesus commands his followers and would-be followers. He says West 27th again last week in this chapter. You were listening.

U2 live those who want like you get the lives of those who don't like you and tell you to lift those who hate you used to live those who are your enemies Love your enemies. So let's see how it applies to a particular how it applies to him practice today. If you want to follow Jesus or if you thinking of becoming a follower of Jesus. If you want to know more about the details of the text as usually posted 10 minutes on Facebook, you can go back and listen only a handful of people they could bury to my down in Facebook. And anyway, I'm going to focus on what this really means to us today. It really simple. Okay, three things who animates secondly how exactly are we to let them watch it look like in practice. Why should we live them? So first of all who are Jesus preaching with cold on the mountain or sex on the plateau probably on the mountain and he's talking to all these people and he says love your enemies. What do you think the people that would think immediately Jesus was talking about while they were probably hope he wasn't joking about the ones that randomly stops the occupying Romans picture on Google. Jesus says love your enemies do good to those. Who hate you. 2 months is certainly doesn't mean the Romans of the other person says I hope not.

Now while this may have been the case for the people in Israel in that day. In general I'm well, some of them may have had personal item is someone that fall in that way we may well have this money enemies people that we don't get along with other don't like us. Jesus here is actually speaking specifically. About those who will be enemies of his followers. He just wondering if you got the Bible in French for you back in those 22. He's warned his followers that will come a time of people will hate you insult you the track your reputation.

How are you to respond to them you to love your enemies you to love your enemies. So that was then two thousand years ago.

If you're a Christian. Do we have enemies? What about the Father's Day is today? What if you ask this question in many parts to will there be a very immediate and ready answer. If you watch this question to 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who are kidnapped and Olivia who your enemies they would have said the Islamic group that captured them and beheaded old twenty one of them on the beaches 50 and Olivia. If you watch this question in many countries in the world over 50 countries in the world, you will find out that there are people who meet together to worship Jesus some of them in secret who have many enemies usually government institutions who are opposed to them and countries listed that North Korea Somali rewrites area you get a ready answer. So what about followers of Jesus in Scotland? Do we if we are Christians, do we have any enemies out there? Persecuted Christians and other parts that will the exception of where the gnome. vice versa

You may have seen recent set the posters in Scotland issued by the Scottish government and the place you're not seeing them. His one of them is a whole series of him. They're bigots. You can't spread your religious hate here and of sermon. A mother place in give me the photos. It's a response to this particular from church and Christian saying we're not aiming at you were aiming at religious extremism. Charlotte is significant. Why don't you think about it the use of the word sermon? We saw last week that it's because of what the followers of Jesus say that like the ancient prophets like him. They hate it excluded insulting rejected and I simply want to ask you and we don't have time to explore this you'll put questions on the post afterwards. This is a great time to come again this evening in the small groups and talk about these things is very important, but I just simply wouldn't I think the tide is turning in the UK? against the followers of Jesus And against the message of Jesus. So do you have any enemies?

Do we have any enemies? If not, we need to be very careful. There's a warning Jesus issues right before he says it's love your enemies. He says woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, but that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. So who would be left with the leather enemies love your enemies love is a very comprehensive so doesn't sound particularly threatening. But the words that Jesus uses here in the original language for love is very special unique wood. It is used by Jesus of himself towards other people heading towards the word that Jesus uses to describe the kind of relationships Christians should share with one another this kind of love is love that is not based on the merits of the person you're living. It is not based on that response to your left. It is not based on to have nice day. I just love to the end and supremely it is Love In Action. So Jesus goes on and he spells out three more commands. Love your enemies do good to those who hate you bless those who curse you pray for those who ill-treat or mistreat you now if you look at them the second to refer to words what we say to God and what we say about them to God. The third one is practical do good to those who hate you. So Jesus goes on if you got the Bible in French. He goes on to give three specific case situations. If you like that we know that their individual because you don't see this in English put the wood Houston. The original languages has a singular or plural at least 3 or singular suppose. He says someone strikes you on the tree. I had to watch you on the job, but more likely gives you a backhanded insult across the face, which is coming still in many parts that will let you do. Jesus says turn the other cheek. Someone comes along and demands your coat what you do. Jesus says take your shirt off and give him a shot as well. Someone demands something for you. What do you do give it to them don't expect anything back. These are specific examples of symbolism and we're not sure it's the same or different in Matthew's gospel. Another gospel on Jesus says if someone asks you to carry hist to carry his luggage for a mile go the extra mile so their individual situations, but that's some Duffy most commonly called the Golden Rule. She's I didn't this whatever-it-is Twisted fact he says do to others as you would have them do to you. It's called the Golden Rule some Seneca said today the golden rule is he who has the gold rules? Actually, nothing could be further from what Jesus says he says gift and gifts and give again it is just love. Look for enemies know those at first century examples. We might have similar things today. Probably not one of the situations in which we find ourselves. In real life. How do you respond to your enemies see one of the problems today? Is that huge amount of abuse? Not least the Christians, but other people as well as directed by the anonymous relative anonymity of Facebook and other social media. I'm not sure the best way to respond to that you ignoring We shouldn't respond in kind we can at least pray for others such people. Maybe you could send the tweet tweet or a message back saying I'm sorry you feel like that. I will pray for you for being racist.

Noticed examples Jesus gives suggest a closer engagements people one right to know about Cummins love doing good blessing praying for this where I missed. It seems our reality that were in a personal relationship of some kind he says,

The ability to strike on the cheek means we are in Striking Distance. And it risks the effort of making contact and he said some Churches have a kind of Fortress mentality.

Which means you don't even engage with people and he says it's an abandonment to the very relational ground that can turn a pole a persecutor into a cell at so so I pushed you too into a phone. So again we flee which is the blood posted by David Robertson who's a free Church minister is quite controversial. So is engaging with people who think differently to him and he's talking about in Inverness up in the highlands plays a gay pride March being planned.

And there's a group of Christians who were calling other Christians to join them to protest on the streets against the Gay Pride March. so going to join them. I guess most of us think let's just ignore and I hope it goes away. Okay is what they wrote since yes, and I'll leave it with you to think about instead of protecting on the streets. Why don't touch riches open their doors and provide the LGBT matches with a cup of tea and a gospel and if it's a pray with him dialogue sometimes works Windows prayer works miracles, give me a cup of tea is not an endorsement of what the person believes and that is a toy. That is the difficulty. Is it now? I'm not offering any Simple Solutions the robot again. American Professor who trained in everything you would like to know first resident. He says when Jesus calls us to love our enemies. I have a hard time seeing that lived in the way we communicate with those who possess different values to our own now. He's the key thing we must hold on to our convictions. While communicating a sensitive living concern and that is difficult. Lots of questions here no easy answers. Come to the smoker's this evening. We can talk about it. Okay?

How would you let them finally? Why not you but do it? Why are we to love our enemies? Most people he goes on to say even those who don't have any respect for Carter to is to love those who love you to do good to those who are good to you to lend to those you expect to repay you. That's the kind of relationship. But Jesus says his followers are to be marked as different to live their enemies do good to them. Give without expecting anything back. Why because this will show that they're in a relationship not just with other people but in a relationship with God, so why are we to live our enemies? Because God your father says Jesus. It's kind of messy. Daniel reward will be great and you will be Children of the most high because he is kind to The Ungrateful and wicked be merciful as your father is merciful. Why should Christians remorseful because we've experienced got messy. Inez we are going to read through Luke's gospel. Maybe you've never read it before it is read through Luke's gospel will discover that Jesus demonstrates that to the fullest extent when he died on the cross as he's nailed to the cross. He said father forgive them. They know not what they do with the love. All random is supremely when Jesus died on the cross we experience God's mercy. Why should we love our enemies? Because God loved us when we were his enemies God lifts us when we were his enemies pull that full of Jesus. We've been a persecute for killer of Christians became a Christian and this is what he rides God demonstrates his own left prison this while we were still sinners Christ died for us. If not the woods if when while we were God's enemies we were reconciled to him through the death of his son how much more having been reconciled shall we be saved through his life?

So let me ask you a question. Question. Have you experienced God's mercy and love? Or are you still in enemy of God you make sure I don't.

The Bible says if we live in a way, that doesn't please God then we are admitted with God you made me never realized then. But God office is gracious. Peace terms way the way in which we can be reconciled to God experiencing his lleva Messi made members of his family. And God is an amazing thing one with that. He not only forgives as he pulls his love into our hearts and Life by his holy spirit. I think you've already done that and if you're struggling to love your enemies keep focusing as we've done this morning and our opening songs on God's Great Love For Us in Jesus Christ is the movie in this time that the more we appreciate God's Great Love & Mercy.

The movie reflect his character to others. I'm not you see it is not what identifies a person as a Christian another text on the wall or the wallpaper on your phone or laptop.

When you love your enemies you reveal. What kind of God our God is I just pray for a moment and then some questions.