Look Who's Coming to Dinner/What's Love got to do with It?

“Look Who’s Coming to Dinner”

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Are you amazed at the kind of people that Jesus chose to be His disciples?

We judge people on their past; what they have been and done. Jesus Judge’s people on their future; what they can be and can do.

I’m glad that Jesus doesn’t just see us for what we are right now; but what we can be by his grace and power! Our understanding of a person’s potential is limited; we don’t see what God can do with someone who will give their life to Him.

So we are often surprised at the kind of people that Jesus calls to do his work; it’s not the way we would do it.

· Illustration

We think if you want the job done right, you have to find the right person to do it.

· If your car is broke down, you need someone who at least knows where the radiator is.

· If you want a good meal; you need someone who can cook.

You need the right person for the job. But that is not the way Jesus did it!

When Jesus chose his disciples, he did not go out and find 12 theologically trained, morally upright, spiritually disciplined men.

Jesus gathered a motley crew of 12 every day sinners, we will meet them all in Luke chapter 6.

They hardly seem like the men who would turn the world upside down. But when they met Jesus, their lives were forever changed, and they became courageous followers of Jesus! There is no better example of this transformation than the lowlife, sinner name Levi, who became known as Matthew.

Jesus saw Matthew not for what he was; but what he could be, if he would follow him.

Friends, Jesus loves sinners! Jesus has healed a man with leprosy; Jesus has healed a paralytic, and forgiven his sins. Now Jesus goes after a wealthy sinner named Matthew, saved him and calls him to be an apostle.

V:32-“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.

The only person who is a candidate for salvation is a person who understands they are a sinner! A person will never turn to Jesus in repentance, unless they realize they're going the wrong way! The bad news is you're a sinner; the good news is Jesus came to save sinners.

-"For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

In these verses Luke gives us Matthew’s personal testimony. A wicked, wealth tax collector becomes an apostle of Jesus Christ!

Some people have the idea that God is looking down from heaven, just waiting for a chance to smack down some sinner! That God is after you, WELL, God is after you to love you, save you, and change your life for the good!

The Bible is crystal clear that God loves sinner. We find the word “sinners” mentioned several times in these verses. And we see Jesus attitude toward sinners. Jesus is interested in Sinners, Jesus loves Sinners! How do we know?

Because:

1. Jesus Calls Lost Sinners!

V:27-Read.

When we first meet Matthew he is “sitting at the receipt of custom”. He is sitting in a booth collecting taxes from people. Matthew was a tax collector. Matthew was a very wealthy man, yet a despised man, a corrupt man a crooked man. Jesus day was a lot like our day when it comes to paying taxes; they paid a lot of taxes. There was the poll tax, Temple tax, a ground tax, a road tax, a docking tax, a cart tax in which every wheel got taxed.

People were taxed into submission by the Roman government. Sound like today?

Jewish Tax collectors were the most hated men in the Jewish society! They were considered to be robbers, because they would not only collect the taxes owed to the Roman government, but that would go beyond what was owned and collect and keep it for themselves. Another name for tax collectors in the New Testament is “publicans”. Matthew was a publican, and a sinner!

Because they had sold themselves to the Roman government they were considered the scum of the earth. They were classed with “robbers, evildoers, adulterers and prostitutes.

Tax collectors could not serve as witnesses in court and were excommunicated from the synagogues. They were considered unclean. Matthew is a tax collector in Capernaum, the place where Jesus had made his headquarters. Capernaum was a town on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee, a strategic place for the collection of taxes.

A main highway built by the Romans ran North and South; and another one ran East and West. Along these roads caravans traveled carrying the wealth of the nation, Silver, precious spices, cloth, silk; ivory and many other commodities were brought in abundance along these roads.

Every industry connected with fishing was there as well. Matthew had a very lucrative job. He was a very wealthy man, in a very important city.

He had everything according to the world’s standards; wealth and status and power, but he was a very miserable man in bondage to Rome and sin.

Living in Capernaum Matthew would have known about Jesus, probably stood on the outskirts of the crowd and heard Jesus preach. No doubt he knew about the healing of the paralyzed man, and Jesus forgiving him off his sins. Maybe Matthew and Jesus had even talked about spiritual matters before. It is apparent from Matthews responds to Jesus that he is under conviction of sin and aware of his need of salvation!

The day started off as an ordinary work day, but it was going to be:

a. A Great day!

V:27-“After these things he went forth, and saw a publican, name Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said to him, follow me”

Jesus stopped at Matthew’s tax booth and took a good look at Matthew (the word “saw,” means “careful and deliberate look which interprets its object”

This was a penetrating look into Matthews’s soul! And Matthews’s soul was stirred!

Matthew is yearning for the forgiveness that the perverted system of Judaism told him he could never have. His heart is hungry to be right with God, to have forgiveness of sins, to know Jesus Christ!

And Jesus stopped at his table, looked at him; all the way into his soul, and said unto him. “Follow me" that was a great day for Matthew!

Everyone must have been surprised that Jesus would call a man like Matthew to be one of his followers. First of all is a very wealthy man, second of all, he is a political man, and is a very crooked man.

But never forget that Jesus calls sinners! Even sinners who have high positions, lots of money, and lots of friends in high places, they are just as lost an in need of salvation as anybody else! Jesus isn't intimidated by the wealthy, and neither should we be.

Do you remember the day that Jesus stopped by the door of your heart? And the Holy Spirit looked into your heart and exposed your sin and condition before God. That was a great day!

Jesus calls sinners to repentance! It is a great day when Jesus calls you to be saved. Jesus called Peter, James and John, Jesus called Zacchaeus, and Jesus called Matthew. And Jesus called me!

And Jesus calls you to come to Him and be saved!

God spoke to Noah and said to him:

-“The Lord said to Noah, come you and all your house into the ark…

The last chapter in the Bible says:

-“And the spirit and the bride say, come, and let him that hears say, come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him drink of the water of life freely."

From the first book in the Bible to the last book in the Bible. God is calling sinners to come to him for salvation!

God never stiff arms people; he never resists sinners, God calls and invites sinners to repentance!

What a great day when Jesus calls you to follow him! Not only was it a great day, but Matthew made:

b. A Great decision!

V:27-28-“Jesus said to him, follow me, and he left all, rose up, and followed him”

It was an immediate and complete response on Matthews’s part. He didn't say; let me think about it, I'll let you know later, come back by tomorrow. No! Matthew responded to Jesus call immediately! This is a picture of true repentance; Matthew got up from that place and walked away from everything!

Because of his position as an agent of Rome, he knew that once he left his job he would never be able to return to it. He knew the cost and willingly paid it.

Of all the disciples, Matthew doubtlessly made the greatest sacrifice of material possessions; yet he himself makes no mention of it. He felt with Paul that -"whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ"

When Matthew got up and walked away from that tax table, there was no going back. Peter and Andrew, James and John could go back to their fishing boats, and they did at times. But there was no turning back for Matthew, I can hear Matthew singing," I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back." It was a total commitment to Jesus:

I heard about a chicken and a pig that walked by a restaurant one morning, the restaurant was having a charity breakfast. They were serving a breakfast of ham and eggs. The chicken looked at the pig and said; why don't we go in and give to the charity. The pig said, not on your life. For you it would be a contribution, but for me it would be total commitment. When Matthew made up his mind to follow Jesus; it was total commitment.

When a person is truly saved, they cannot leave there old life fast enough. His old habits, standards, and practices no longer appeal to him and he gladly left them behind.

Far from being depressed about what he left behind, his heart was filled with joy because of who he found! Because of Matthew's decision to follow Jesus everything in his life was changed for the better! From his decision Matthew got several things:

· He got clean hands.

From that day forward he could look anybody in the eye without guilt or shame. He was no longer a crook and a thief. He had clean hands and a clean heart. Jesus offers real forgiveness for real guilt!

· He lost one job, but got a better one.

He left his job with Caesar and went to work for Christ! He left Rome, and found the Redeemer!

Someone said that Matthew left everything but one thing; he didn’t leave his pen. Matthews’s gospel is one of the most important documents of history. He gives us a firsthand account of the teaching of Jesus! Matthew becomes an apostle of the Lord Jesus, and gives us an eyewitness account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

· He went from a publican to a preacher.

We all know Matthew because he forsook all and followed Jesus! Following Jesus was the greatest decision Matthew ever made!

Jesus calls sinners! Matthew salvation is a reminder that Jesus calls people from every walk of life! Jesus called Matthew, saved him and used him as one of his 12 apostles and as a writer of the gospel according to Matthew. Matthew gathered facts, and recorded things that the other gospel writers do not. The Sermon on the Mount and the parables of the kingdom are all unique in Matthew's Gospel.

Thank you Matthew!

Jesus is calling someone today to follow him! It is a great day when Jesus calls you by the Holy Spirit! Please make a great decision and come to Jesus today! And allow Jesus to do great things through you!

Jesus Calls Lost Sinners!

2. Jesus Celebrates with Saved Sinners!

V:29-30-Read.

Matthews’s life has been radically changed and he is absolutely thrilled! What can he do to show his appreciation to Jesus for setting him free from the chains of sin and materialism?

Then it dawned on him, I have a big house, and I have money, I will throw a big party in honor of Jesus, and invite all my lost friends to meet Jesus!

V:29-“And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others (Sinners-Matthew himself says) that sat down with him."

Matthew was a man who did everything in a great way! Matthew had a great feast, and he invited a great company of tax collectors and sinners to his feast. V:29-“Levi made him a great feast in his own house…

Matthew made this feast for Jesus! He is appreciating Jesus, he is honoring Jesus! Matthew is a happy man, he's been saved! I think he had this party for three reasons, it was a:

1. Praise Party!

To celebrate his salvation Matthew throws this feast for Jesus! He is grateful and thankful that Jesus has set him free, he is a saved man, a new creature. And this was a praise party!

By the way, salvation is a feast, not a funeral!

2. A farewell feast!

This was a farewell dinner, Matthew is letting all of his friends know, and he’s no longer going to be a tax collector. He's going to serve under a new King, he's under new management.

3. Meet and greet!

V:30-“Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners"?

Picture Jesus and his disciples at Matthew's house around the table with these tax- collectors and sinners. They are eating, and laughing, and talking together. The people that are at this party are Matthews’s friends, Matthew has just been saved. And the only friends he has are tax collectors and sinners.

Matthew wants his lost friends and co-workers to meet the Lord Jesus Christ! I can see Matthew as he stands, takes his fork and taps the side of his water glass, and says, may I have your attention please?

I would like to say something; you all know me, you know how I have lived. But something wonderful has happened in my life today! Today this man right here, Jesus the Messiah, the son of God came by my job and invited me to follow him and be his disciple. And I have done it, I am forsaking my old life to follow Jesus, I'm a new man today, I'm saved, my sins are forgiven, and I'm happier than I've ever been! And I owe it all to this man right here, Jesus!

I can see him as he turns to Jesus and says thank you, thank you, thank you for calling someone like me!

Thank you for forgiving my sins and saving my soul!

And friends that's why we're having this feast tonight I wanted you to meet Jesus! And I want to tell you; what he's done for me, he can do for you!

The best time in the world, to witness to others is when you first get saved, tell all your old friends what Jesus has done for you.

One of the signs that you're saved is you want others to be saved. You have made the greatest discovery of your life and you want share it with everyone!

There is a tendency, if you are not very careful, after you come to know the Lord, to get so isolated you no longer have any opportunity to witness to lost people.

Sometimes we Christians misunderstand what the gospel is all about and instead of insulation; we get the idea that its isolation. As a result we don't have any lost friends. Do you have any lost friends? Do you have any sinners who are friends? Not that you participate in what they do, but that you have left open the channels of communication so you can introduce your friends to the Lord Jesus.

Matthew was successful because it says in:

V:29-“a great company… In other words, Matthew brought a lot of people to meet Jesus the Savior.

Matthew was doing what Jesus wants a disciple to do. The Pharisees saw the Lord Jesus eating with those publicans and sinners. In their opinion there wasn't a good one in the crowd. They were all a bunch of rich, thieving, low-lives, a bunch of sinners. So they got upset with Jesus. They go His disciples and say, V:30-“why is he eating and drinking with publicans and sinners?

Right here is the difference between Jesus and religion. Religion brings isolation; Jesus brings invasion.

These guys were the party poopers of the N.T.

Some Christians get the idea that they are to be so isolated that they never rub shoulders with sinners are reaching out to sinners. But Matthew is a great example of introducing Jesus to sinners! Matthew has already caught the spirit of his master, Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Jesus celebrates Matthew salvation with a house full of sinners! Coming to know Christ is a great reason to party!

Jesus didn't save you to put you in a bubble, cut you off from all lost people, and make you a Baptist monk!

Jesus saved you, and wants you to take Him to your lost friends! And do it with Joy!

Jesus Calls Lost Sinners!

Jesus Celebrates with Saved Sinners!

3. Jesus Corrects Self-righteous Sinners!

V:31-39-Read.

This is the first public; out-loud criticism of Jesus from the Pharisees, but it will certainly not be the last. The Pharisees condemned Jesus for accepting the invitation to join the sinners for dinner. In their mind a strict law keeper would have no fellowship with sinners. Jesus was going against the Jewish customs, systems and practices of his day by eating with these ceremonially unclean people. The religion of that day had cast them out, they were rejects considered to be as unclean as a leper.

They questioned; why Jesus would associate with tax collectors and sinners. So, Jesus corrects the self-righteous sinners, the Pharisees.

V:31-“They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."

Jesus makes one of His great mission statements. He announces who He is and what He has come to do. Jesus knew the condition of every one of those people at Matthew's party. They were sin-sick, hurting, outcast, lost, wealthy people in need of salvation! What was Jesus doing their? Jesus was the great physician making a house call!

Jesus came into the world to heal sinners!

This explains why he was mixing with the “wrong crowd”. It is what a doctor does; he spend time with sick people! And rather than getting infected by their sin, Jesus had the power to make them well. Jesus went among sinners not to be like sinners, but to bring sinners to salvation; to change them by the power and grace of God. Jesus offers us the same treatment, but in order to receive it, we have to accept His diagnosis. As long as we insist that we are righteous, we will never see our need for the gospel cure. That was the problem for the Pharisees.

V:32-“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.

Praise God, I'm glad of that!

Why did Jesus say that? -“Because there is none righteous, no not one”.

Jesus is telling us that we are all sinners. We are all in need of the great physician. Who needs a doctor? Sick people do!

What a great physician Jesus is!

However – there are three kinds of patients that Jesus cannot heal from sin’s sickness.

1. Those who do not know about him.

2. Those who know about him; but refuse to trust him.

3. Those who will not admit they have a need.

The Pharisees and scribes were self-righteous, and wouldn’t admit they had a need; and Jesus could not help them. Jesus will forgive you and heal you of your sin sickness, but first you must admit you have a need! The great physician is here this morning, whatever your sickness is He is the cure!

Jesus brings spiritual healing-forgiveness of sin.

Jesus brings a new day; Jesus came to fulfill the law, and establish a new covenant through His blood. And through Jesus everything is better. (Hebrews)

We do not patch Jesus onto Judaism, or any other religion! We wear the new garment of salvation through His name. We don’t have a patch work gospel; like the 7 day Adventist; mixing in the law with grace. It all of grace, and not of works!

We don’t drink the old wine of Jesus Christ, and what God has done through Him!

Jesus is better than the old system of the law!

Jesus calls lost sinners!

Jesus celebrates with saved sinners!

Jesus corrects self-righteous sinners!

“What’s Love Got to Do With It”

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What do you think is the one mark that Jesus said should identify a Christian? There are many things that should be a part of our lives as Christians.

As a Christian repentance should mark our life.

As a Christian humility should mark our life.

As a Christian prayer should mark our life.

As a Christian separation should mark our life.

As a Christian obedience should mark our life.

But the one mark that Jesus said should identify a person as a Christian is LOVE.

-“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”

Love is the birthmark that identifies you as a member of God’s family.

Many families have some type of birthmark that is specific to them. Maybe it’s the size or curvature of the nose; the shape of the eyes, or some other feature. Tess, has a red spot on the back of her neck; and our children also have this red spot on the back of their necks. So Tess is a redneck; and her children are rednecks.

And when she gets mad, and when they get mad; the red spot becomes corvette red! A birthmark, passed down in our family.

God has established a birthmark in which his children can be identified. Love is the birthmark of the Christian; without the birthmark of love, other people really don’t know who you are.

Jesus said by your love will all men know that you’re my disciples.

The great command in the Bible:

-“love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself”.

Love is more than a nice idea, love is the great command of the Bible; we are to love God above all else, so that we can love people as He has commanded us.

In order to love people as we should, we must love God first and foremost. As I think about my relationship with my wife, children, family, coworkers, and neighbors; I realize that I cannot love them as I ought to love them, if I’m not loving God as I ought to love Him.

If my relationship vertically is not right; my relationships horizontally won’t be right.

It is only when God is in his rightful place in my heart that others will be in their right place in my life.

But if God is not in his rightful place in my life, guess who I’ll put in that place? Me, myself, and I.

And when I do that, it affects every relationship in my life. In my marriage, I have to confess my problem isn’t first that I fail to love Tess in the way that I should. No, my deeper problem is that I have not love God as I should, and because I haven’t, I put myself in His position. I make it all about me and therefore I do not love Tess like I should; because I’m too busy loving myself, and taking care of myself. A lack of love for God, will be revealed in a lack of love for other people.

Only the love of God spread abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit can set you free from the bondage of self-love, to love others.

Sometimes it’s hard to love the best of people; because people are people, and sometimes there not loveable. But what Jesus is commanding us to do in these verses; is not only hard to do; it’s impossible to do on our own! Jesus is commanding us to, V:27,35-“love our enemies…

Jesus has just told his disciples if they love him, and live for him they will be hated, persecuted, spoken evil of. Jesus had his enemies, and we will to.

How did Jesus respond to his enemies? Jesus loved his enemies, blessed his enemies, and prayed for his enemies.

You may be sitting there thinking, it’s wonderful that Jesus loved his enemies, and forgave them; but that’s not the way I’m wired, I could never love my enemies. But this is the command that Jesus has given us; and all Jesus commands come with his enablement.

The rabbis of Jesus day taught, that love was something that you only owed to your family and friends.

But Jesus says something radical, Jesus says love your enemies, this is by far the hardest commandment. The only way we can love our enemies; is by allowing God to love them through us.

This love is not based on our emotions; but on our wills; we choose as a part of our obedience to Christ, to love our enemies.

We all have enemies; some are real, some are perceived, but we have enemies.

Who do you have in your enemy category?

· The drunk driver who kills an innocent person.

· The terrorist who brings war, destruction and death.

· Your demeaning, demanding boss.

· Your scheming, under-minding co-worker.

· Your angry neighbor.

· Your hostile, abusive spouse.

· Your friend, business partner, who has lied to you and ripped you off.

· That person who has spread lies about you.

· Your ex-spouse who has done you wrong.

Who is your enemy? Think about it; it is an important question to answer. Because whoever your enemy is, he or she is the person Jesus is calling you to love.

Jesus didn’t just tell us to love our enemies, he gave specific instructions on how to love our enemies. Jesus knew that love is not simply a matter of what we think or feel; but what we do.

So he gives us several ways that we are to love our enemies.

1. Love with Your Actions.

V:27-“love your enemies, do good to them which hate you…

To do good, is to love with our actions, doing good to those who do us wrong. Instead of hating them back, or seeking revenge, show your enemies love by treating them good. Nobody did this like Jesus!

Imagine yourself, in the upper room with Jesus and the 12 apostles the night before Jesus was crucified.

Jesus gets up from the table, gets a bowl of water and a towel, and begins to wash his disciple’s feet. Jesus comes to Judas, his enemy, who had already agreed to sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus stoops down, un-latches Judas’s sandals, and washes Judas feet. Jesus is showing love to his enemy; knowing full well that these feet would lead soldiers and religious leaders to arrest him later that night. Then later as their eating bread together, Jesus dips a piece of bread in the olive oil, then he gives it to Judas; in that culture to dip a piece of bread, and then to give it to someone was a gesture a special friendship. Jesus is reaching out to Judas; saying I know what you are up to, but here’s my friendship, here’s my loving heart, all you have to do is take it.

But Judas slammed the door in Jesus face, and walked out that night.

In those events that night Jesus was loving his enemy by his actions.

Jesus love for his enemies lead him all the way to the cross; , when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son…

In while we were yet sinners/ enemies Christ died for us.

You’re thinking, I cannot love that person, they hate me, they have abused me, they have lied on me, taken advantage of me; they are my enemy!

Remember we’re not talking about natural love, loving those who love you; were talking about agape love, God’s love, love for the undeserving, unloving, even your enemy.

What does this kind of love show the world? This kind of love shows the world that you belong to Jesus. This kind of love can melt the hardest heart!

-“Be not overcome of evil, overcome evil with good”.

-“For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to them which do good to you, what thank have you? For sinners also do even the same.

If we only treat people who are good to us good, Jesus says big deal, even unsaved people do that.

You want to do something that only saved people, who have the love of God in them can do; love your enemies, and do something good for them.

I am a big fan of Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s purse. That ministry does a tremendous work for God all over the world. Franklin Graham was in Mosul Iraq last month; Mosul is the nation’s second-largest city, and the biblical city of Nineveh.

ISIS captured Mosul in 2014, and since then they have killed thousands of Christians, and drove the rest out that city. Samaritan’s purse operates a field hospital on the outskirts of Mosul. Where they treat some of the most horrific injuries imaginable, like people who step on landmines that ISIS has planted. One of the doctors operating in that field hospital is Doctor Kent Brantley; the man who contracted Ebola in Liberia. The movie facing darkness is based on a story. If you wondered what he is doing today; he is serving with Samaritan’s purse at emergency field hospital in northern Iraq, just a few miles from the ongoing fighting in Mosul. But in the hospital along with the victims of ISIS; are several ISIS soldiers who were wounded in the battle for Mosul. And there showing them the love, and care of the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Franklin Graham said, “Just as Jesus healed all who came to him, we care for these men unconditionally. Our hospital is in a secure facility protected by concrete blast walls, and they are not going anywhere until we turn them over to the Iraq authorities”.

We show them love and take care of them, but we also make sure that justice is served. That is a good description of Agape love.

Love with your actions.

2. Love with Your Words.

V:28-Bless them that curse you…

Not only are we to do good to those who are our enemies; we are to speak good to those who are enemies.

When our enemies curse us, speak evil about us, we are to say good things in response to their evil words. Jesus warned his followers they will be vilified, cursed, and ostracized, and they were. Jesus himself was accused of blaspheming, and lied on, and called Beelzebub; and yet Jesus responded with love.

-“Jesus, when he was reviled, reviled not again…

Jesus had just told his disciples, you will suffer reproach for my namesake.

When you are cursed, and someone tears you apart with gossip, and unkind words; do not respond in like kind. That alone is hard to do; but Jesus says don’t just be neutral, but respond with words of kindness, grace, find something good to say and speak well of them. Jesus is telling us that His love keeps us from sinking to the level of returning evil for evil. The love of God in our heart helps us to use gentle words of grace when people speak to us in anger. Our words, our tongue can display the love of Jesus; or can start a battle, that we cannot win.

3. Love with Your Prayers.

V:28-“pray for them which spitefully use you”.

It is impossible to truly pray for someone and hate them at the same time. This is God’s supernatural love at work in us. Praying for the person who persecutes you is the highest form of love there is.

Sometimes the only thing safe for a person to do is pray for their abusers from a distance. Because physical abuse is too dangerous to endure, and God doesn’t expect you to stay there and endure it. But we’re not to hang on to bitterness and unforgiveness; were to love our enemies by praying for them, and remember vengeance is the Lord’s, He will repay.

When I was an associate pastor in Florida, I had some neighbors that lived directly behind me, that hated God, and the church, and therefore they hated me. They shot the sliding glass door on the back of my house, they put nasty letters in my mailbox; they would sit out in the back yard and look at my house with binoculars. Needless to say it didn’t make me very happy; I was a lot younger, Jared and Jordan were little boys. And honestly I was afraid for my family; I told my mom about it; and she said we going to have to start praying for them. At that point in my life, praying for them was not on the top of my list.

Shooting their windows out was! So I compromised; and built a privacy fence. They would throw beer bottles over the fence into my yard, and still send me hate mail. So I did begin to pray for them; and me and another guy on staff went to visit them, because they had a child. And we invite them to church, and invite their child to children’s church. And you know they began to let that little girl ride the bus and come to church. And they quit throwing the beer bottles in my yard, and sending me hate mail. And a few years later God call me to pastor my first church and I left there.

But that incident taught me, that God answers prayer!

We can pray that God would save those who persecute us!

Together our actions, words, and prayers form a powerful response to the hatred of our enemies. We can overcome evil with good.

If you’re working in, or living in a toxic atmosphere of hate, bitterness, slander, gossip; and you have enemies because you are a Christian; you can see God change that atmosphere by your prayers, words, and actions.

Ask yourself this question; what good have I done for my enemy?

What kind act have you done for them? What encouraging word have you spoken to them? What prayers have you prayed for them? Prayer is where transformation starts in your life and the life of that other person. We often say, prayer changes things, and it does! But prayer changes us! As you begin to pray for someone, God opens your eyes to that person, changes your heart toward that person, and you realize they need the same thing you need; the forgiveness of sin, the peace of God; they need Jesus!!

Jesus set the example for us; as his enemies nailed him to a cross, Jesus prayed father forgive them they know not what they do.

I know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking that was Jesus, and he is the son of God, and no human being can love and pray for their enemies like Jesus.

But that is not true, -“ Stephen prayed, as he was being stoned to death, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, and then he died”.

The love of God in Stephen’s heart, enabled him to pray for those who persecuted, and killed him.

4. Love with Your Patience.

V:29-“To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other one also”.

What is the right interpretation of this verse, and how do we apply this to our life today?

The Clint Eastwood, Terminator, response is to pay back a slap on the face with a right hook. You slap me, I’ll break your neck. You take my shirt, I chop off your hand. The command, whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also does not mean we are not to defend ourselves are our family. Jesus was not forbidding His followers from defending themselves if they were attacked.

In He instructed the apostles to buy a sword for protection if they did not have one. Governments are in place to protect their citizens with swords, and prevent evil action and anarchy. When the disciples were put out of the synagogues, as Jesus warned would happen, they would often be beaten, and slapped across the face. When dishonored with such insults they were not to retaliate, but to accept that mistreatment and continue to love their oppressors. Jesus demonstrated the proper response to being unjustly humiliated during His trial before the high priest. When one of the officers struck Him, He did not turn His head and ask to be struck again.

But neither did He lash out in anger and revenge at His mistreatment.

Instead, He rebuked the priest for hitting him without cause. To turn the other cheek is to accept hostility and ill treatment without hatred or retaliation, but to show love in return.

Jesus is not teaching us to allow evil and violence to have this way, without trying to stop it, or challenge it. We have the God-given responsibility to make sure that physical violence is dealt with by the proper authorities. The turn the other cheek rule, is not meant to keep civil government from punishing evildoers. It does not mean, that you’re not to protect yourself, your family and your property.

Then what does it mean? We must remember the context; Jesus had just told his disciples they would be persecuted for their faith. Jesus was telling his disciples to endure persecution, insult, and hatred without fighting back, but showing love. There is also the cultural context to consider; in those days, striking someone’s cheek was more an insult than an act of violence. An ancient slap usually involved the back of the hand and pictured public rejection. The Christian is to suffer humiliation, and endure insults for Christ, rather than retaliating. Don’t return verbal slap for verbal slap. Sometimes the attacks that we face come from people at work. Sometimes neighbors make snide remarks about our involvement in the church. Sometimes friends pressure us to compromise our commitment to Jesus. Sometimes family members try to discourage us from walking in radical obedience to Jesus. But no matter what form of opposition we face, Jesus calls us to keep reaching out to our enemies, even if we are insulted, and rejected, and hurt again and again. -“When you do what is right and suffer for it and patiently endure it, this finds favor with God”.

5. Love with Your Generosity.

V:30-“Give to every man that ask of you; and of him that takes away your goods asked them not again” Jesus goes on to say in, V:35-“but love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again… Jesus was not talking about giving money to panhandlers, or the people who would use it for evil purposes, but people with a legitimate need.

Someone said ”If Christians took this absolutely literally there would soon be a class of saintly paupers, owning nothing, and another of prosperous idlers and thieves.

It is not this that Jesus is seeking, but a readiness among his followers to give and give and give”. Love for possessions should never keep a Christian from giving.

Love must decide when to give and when to withhold our possessions.

What is Jesus calling you to give? What has someone taken, that he is calling you to let go of? Some Christians are so concerned about somebody taking advantage of them that they never give anything to anyone. There are times when it is not loving to give, because giving will foster an unhealthy dependency.

But love is what must decide; not love for ourselves and our possessions, but love for others.

V:31-“As you would that men should do to you, do you also to them”.

This is known as the Golden rule: do unto others, as you have them do unto you.

There are three levels in which you can live your life: The satanic level-Do unto others, before they do unto you. The natural level-Do unto others, as they do unto you. The supernatural level-Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

Jesus tells us as his disciples we are to live on the supernatural level; doing to other people, what we would want them to do for us.

Don’t wait for someone to do good to you; do the good to them; that you wish they would do to you.

· It is a good rule to follow when it comes to picking up your clothes and putting away the toothpaste.

· It is a good rule to follow when merging in heavy traffic.

· It is a good rule to follow when sharing an office, or resolving a dispute with a friend, neighbor or family member.

Jesus calls us to treat people the way we want to be treated.

The great question is, how can any of us ever live up to this? How can we love our enemies?

In ourselves, it is impossible!

Jesus taught his disciples to love this way, because this is the way that God loves. So when we love our enemies, we show that we are God’s true children; the family birthmark is unmistakable.

God shows love and kindness to evil, ungrateful people every day. He does it by giving us life and strength. He does it by sustaining this beautiful world we live in.

But God showed his supreme love by sending his son to die for the very people who hated him and rebelled against him. -“While we were enemies we were reconciled to God for the death of his son”.

Jesus proved his love for us by dying on the cross; greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. Everything that Jesus told his disciples they would endure; he endured. Jesus was hated by Judas, by the Pharisees, and by the people who demanded he be crucified. Jesus was cursed by the false witnesses who testified against him, by the soldiers who mocked him, and by the governor who sentenced him to death. Jesus was abused, whipped, slapped, and nailed to a cross. They took away his coat, and stripped him of everything he had.

On the cross Jesus showed love by his actions, words, prayers, patients, and generosity as He gave his life a ransom for many!

You and I were the enemies that Jesus died on the cross for! And when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior; we have the divine nature in us. And what God has called us to do; He has given us the power to do. V:36-“Be therefore merciful, as your father also is merciful”. Do you know why we often don’t love others, including our enemies? It is because we have forgotten the mercy of God to us.

Have you experienced the love and mercy of God? If you have; then you’re to extend the love and mercy of God to others. That is the birthmark of a child of God!