Other Aspects of An Extraordinary Standard Love
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Love our enemies:
Do good
Bless
Pray
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
19 We love because he first loved us.
This morning we are going to look at a few more ways or means that a Christ-like love a true love, a genuine love is exemplified/demonstrated.
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Love our enemies:
Stop Judging
Don’t Condemn
Forgive
Give
Do not judge
Do not judge
To evaluate, to form a critical opinion of something or someone. To offer a verdict through examination or scrutiny. To sift/separate good from bad, right from wrong.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
It is the Lord God who alone is the righteous Judge, not us.
Adelaide Anne Proctor
The Judge Not Poem
Judge not; the workings of his brain
And of his heart thou canst not see;
What looks to thy dim eyes a stain,
In God’s pure light may only be
A scar, brought from some well-won field,
Where thou wouldst only faint and yield.
The look, the air, that frets thy sight,
May be a token, that below
The soul has closed in deadly fight
With some infernal fiery foe,
Whose glance would scorch thy smiling grace,
And cast thee shuddering on thy face!
The fall thou darest to despise—
May be the angel’s slackened hand
Has suffered it, that he may rise
And take a firmer, surer stand;
Or, trusting less to earthly things,
May henceforth learn to use his wings.
And judge none lost; but wait, and see,
With hopeful pity, not disdain;
The depth of the abyss may be
The measure of the height of pain
And love and glory that may raise
This soul to God in after days!
Contextually, as we read the Luke passage and further instruction from Christ and the Apostles in the pages of Scripture, it becomes clear to us, that “judging” here is not in reference to the use of discernment and discriminative thought concerning an appraisal of the moral conditions of another.
Rather it is an attitude which lacks mercy, grace and a willingness to forgive that is spoken against.
One commentator said it this way:
“The Savior does not call for men to cease to be examining and discerning, but to renounce the presumptuous temptation to to try to be God.”
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
Romans 14 is a treasure of instruction for us when we have disagreements about disputable things. Personal convictions vs. Biblical Convictions. These must be distinguished carefully.
However, just as equally and damaging a sin it would be for us to misinterpret the words of Jesus in such a way that we no longer call one another to holiness, truth and obedience, because we don’t want to be accused of “judging”.
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
How damaging to the name of Christ and sinful is it for us to accuse, try and pronounce a final verdict of someone else’s heart/actions. Unless it is done through loving confrontation and accountability, tempered with humility, mercy, grace and love?
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
Do not condemn
Do not condemn
This additional phrase is not simply a redundancy of words by Christ, he is flushing out the command to stop judging. Condemning someone is proclaiming guilt upon them absolutely and those who do so will themselves be condemned by The Judge.
Immediately, we see the instruction go from a negative (the things to avoid) to a positive tone (something we can do)this leads to the third sub point, which is to forgive.
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
When we condemn or judge, we are blind to the debt that has been paid for us, but love opens our eyes to the beauty of what Christ has done for us, and will do for any sinner who comes to Him by faith.
Forgive
Forgive
Forgiving is showing love toward one who is in fact guilty. You can not offer forgiveness to someone who is not guilty, as they have no need for forgiveness.
This is not suggesting that one who is guilty ought to be identified as innocent, nor is it a suggestion of refraining from abiding by the law or throwing out the law.
It is a release from the punishment due.
Offering forgiveness comes with benefits. If we forgive, we are told we will be forgiven. As we forgive we are also forgiven.
7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Forgiving is the first of the two “positive” actions we can take. The second is to give.
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Give
Give
To offer the sinner something from the resources that God has given to us. All that we have is from God, we are stewards of the talents, resources gifts and abilities that we have. Why wouldn’t we want to use them, as Christ exemplified and taught us to use them.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Discipleship does not afford us a point of vantage from which to attack others; we come to them with an unconditional offer to fellowship, with the single-mindedness of the love of Jesus.”
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
What happens when you give?
What happens when you give?
Naturally, you’d expect that you will be left without whatever you have given. In fact, Jesus had just said, when you give, don’t expect anything in return. However, now we are told that you will receive back, what you’ve given in a fair, just and generous way, you will be paid back. Look at verse 38 at the description of what you’ll receive back.
Good measure= Right and just weights will be used
Pressed down- compacted to remove empty voids
Shaken together- additionally compacted and shifted to fill any minute openings
Running over- heaped over to the extent of the blessings are not able to be contained as they are “placed in your lap”.
The measure of judgement we give, is the same measure of judgement that will be given to us.
The measure of condemnation we give, is the same measure of condemnation that will be given to us.
The measure of forgiveness we give, is the same measure of forgiveness that will be given to us.
39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Look Up
Look Up
Jesus goes on to further illustrate or further explain the way that we are to treat others, even our enemies. He says that a blind man can’t lead a blind man, therefore we must look to the “teacher” who is able to see all, and He is our standard bearer, guide and teacher.
Let the One who is the Light guide you and train you and be your role model.
Example of Dan Martin walking through campus, sliding on the ice and driving Pat’s car.
I wouldn’t want to let him drive me or lead me through an area, that he had never been before. Why would I think that I can guide a person’s heart and mind by making judgements about things that I cannot see or know.
I believe Christ’s point is that we are unable to see certain things, so we shouldn’t try to lead in those areas. Places like a person’s heart and their motives.
So first we look to Jesus as our guide and our Master, which prevents us from being wrongfully judgmental of others and reveals our own sin, first and foremost.
41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Look in the Mirror
Look in the Mirror
Once our eyes are opened and we are being guided by the light of Truth, we need to take a look at ourselves, see the log in our own eyes. How foolish is it of us to walk around with logs in our eyes, trying to remove the sliver, splinter, piece of straw, hay. Hay is quite irritating, I can’t imagine what a log feels like. The word translated “log” is used to describe a beam or a building support.
A hypocrite tries to judge another while there is a log in his eye. How well can you see and function when there is a log in your eye?
Jesus is clearly using a bit of hyperbole in this section. Several commentators stated that hyperbole is used throughout this section. They have suggested hyperbole is used in phrases such as: love your enemies, turning the other cheek, and getting the log out of your eye. That may be. We certainly know that Jesus was not opposed to opposing evil, self defense, government rule, protecting the weak and innocent, calling sin sin and sinners sinners, and so forth.
The main point that we can take away from this entire section, is that we ought to approach one another in love, humility, seeking what is best for them and for others. We should not be worried about our own interests but the interest of others.
Do not judge or condemn - Forgive and Give
Do not judge or condemn - Forgive and Give
Look Up to Jesus and then look in the mirror before judging someone else.
Look Up to Jesus and then look in the mirror before judging someone else.