Love as Children of God
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34 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. 35 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 sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Introduction
Introduction
As we begin this morning, I’d like to pose the question to you: When did you last thoughtfully consider the manner in which you love others? Have you given thought to the extent of your love for those around you; those you interact with day to day; those you come into contact with? Have you set yourself a goal that you are focused towards as you consider how it is that you ought to be loving those around you?
This is a very important question. All of the Christian life requires constant consideration in terms of how well it is being lived out. We need to be constantly watching our thoughts, actions and attitudes, and considering if they are bringing glory to Christ, and all the more being brought into conformity with His will. As Christians. We want to become ever more like Christ as we head to eternity.
But the manner in which we love other people must certainly be a crucial focal point on this journey. The Scriptures are very clear that the royal law is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and secondly to love your neighbour as yourself.
10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
We see very evidently and plainly from the Scriptures that love is no secondary matter within the Christian faith. This is not something that we can relegate to a matter of secondary importance for the Christian. This is primary. The matter of love is truly a matter which looks to the heart of a person and is at least one of the bases upon which it may be determined if someone is truly redeemed or not; it someone is truly a child of God, or merely claiming to be a child of God.
The challenge that exists is that as Christians that know these truths, we very often seek to lower the bar for the kind of love to which we are called. We set the standard of Biblical, Christian, Christ-honouring love so low, that it looks no different to the world’s version of love. And this is a danger. Because in doing so, we try to put our consciences at rest, and seek to avoid the growth that is needed in our lives, or even the radical transformation that is needed in our lives as those who claim to love Christ.
With this in mind, I would ask that during the course of this message, you keep in your minds this important question, how well am I loving others, and where am I setting my sights in terms of seeking to love those around me.
With this in mind, the first main point that I’d like us to consider this morning is...
1. The Love of a Saint (vv.27-31)
1. The Love of a Saint (vv.27-31)
Keep in mind that this is the sermon on the mount that Christ is preaching to his disciples. As be brings across this powerful teaching, we must remember that he is conveying to the disciples that have gathered around him, the kingdom ethics and standards by which those within His kingdom seek to live their lives.
As we consider this, we must keep in mind that a perfect keeping of these standards is utterly impossible. Our only hope is in Christ. But with that said, Christ sets our sights on this grand manner of life that follows in His footsteps. In other words, this truly is our goal. And we as Christ’s disciples seek to achieve this goal by trusting in Him, and walking by the power of the Spirit of Christ in our lives.
As Christ goes on then in this Sermon on the Mount, he delves into this matter of loving others.
And the first thing that Christ says about the love of a saint is shocking...
27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Notice as He speaks here, he begins by saying, “But I tell you who hear me.”
In other words, these words are spoken to those whose ears are truly opened to hear what Christ has to say. All of them there would have heard the words of Jesus as they came out of his mouth. But not everyone would truly assimilate those words and process them in their hearts and minds and then seek to live those words out.
As we begin this morning, I urge you to hear the words of Christ - not just to listen, but to truly hear that which he calls us to such that it will move you toward action.
The first aspect concerning Christian love, the love of a saint, a disciple of Jesus Christ, is that they will love their enemies. The first evidence that we have started to love in a manner that is consistent with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is that we develop a genuine love and concern for those who we would consider to be our enemies.
We must see here the context into which Christ was speaking. The teaching that was prevalent in that day (demonstrated in Matthew 5:43) was that you could love your neighbour, but hate your enemies. In Leviticus 19:18, we read the command that God gave to Israel in terms of loving those around them...
18 “ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
But the emphasis that the religious leaders placed was on the fact that this was to be directed towards “one of your people...” And so in doing this they limited their love towards the Jewish people, those of their own ethnic, religious grouping. But everyone else around them, they saw fit to treat with contempt. They saw it fit to take vengeance, to bear a grudge against them, because they were not “one of their people.”
But Christ comes in and confronts their thinking. They are called to love their enemies. And so Christ’s call for those who would be his disciples is this: love your enemies.
As we consider this, we must understand that this is not a “begrudging love” towards people that we still have a deep resentment for in our hearts. The heart that has been truly transformed by Jesus Christ is transformed in such a manner that they’ve been brought to a recognition of their own unworthiness for God’s love. But they see that despite that unworthiness, they were the recipient of such great love - even a love that would redeem them. As a consequence of this recognition, they develop and express this kind of love toward their enemies. We will come to this further under our third main point. But it’s important that we understand it from the outset.
Jesus is saying here that the saint is to motivated by love and concern, and to demonstrate a deep and loving care over all people, including their enemies.
Now as we consider this, keep in mind the very familiar love chapter - 1 Corinthians 13 - which speaks about what genuine love is marked by. And think then about the application of this love towards enemies...
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Here is the way in which the Christian is called to love, not just friends, not just those close to them, but even enemies.
But we see further that this is not merely a private matter. This kind of love is that which works itself out in practical demonstrations, practical works. The loving disposition of the heart is to express itself in deeds...
Verse 27 says that we should “do good to those that hate you...”
The typical response when someone hates us, and expresses that hate towards us with words, or with their own unkind actions, or with threats of some kind, is that we hate them back. At least we will become angry with them, or hold a grudge against them. We see their actions as completely unreasonable, unkind, malicious, contemptible. And we respond to them in less than kind ways ourselves. And we say, well, they deserve it because of what they’ve said or done.
But this is not how Christ instructs his disciples to respond. He says to them that they are to actively do good to those that show them hatred.
Taking this further, we read in verse 28 that Jesus declares...
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
This only takes the practical outworkings of loving ones’ enemies a step further. It is only our enemies that will curse us. But in the face of such cursing, we are not to do the same to them, but rather, we as Christians, those in Christ’s kingdom, are called to bless such people.
The word “bless” here is from the greek word “eulogeo”. It literally means to praise, to commend, to bless, extol a person. It very often involved the use of words, although it certainly includes to do good. In light of this, when someone curses us with their mouth, the response of the person that loves Christ is to speak to them words that are a blessing to them.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
The reality is that the one whose heart has been transformed by the grace and power of Jesus Christ is to demonstrate love through words that are spoken in a manner that would bless those around them - even those who would persecute them, or make their life unpleasant. The question is what is the fruit that is being produced out of this transformed heart? From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Now, let me be quick to add that this blessing shouldn’t merely be with words. Rather, it should extend to acts of mercy and kindness. When our enemies afflict us in word or deed, we ought to respond with blessing and acts of kindness. Paul clearly demonstrates this in Romans 12 - a very practical application of Christian love.
20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Further to blessing those who curse you, we are also told that a Saint - one in the kingdom of Christ - must pray for those that persecute them / mistreat them.
This prayer for a person that mistreats you is not the imprecatory prayers in the Psalms (the prayers that pray for condemnation and judgment upon those that are mistreating you). There is a place for prayer for God to carry out His just wrath against evil and sin in the world, but we must be very careful what motivates our prayers for judgment - and how we formulate those prayers, particularly against our enemies. Imagine that Christ prayed such imprecatory prayers against us as a result of our own rebellion against him, and our mistreatment of Him. We would never know of the grace of God!!
Instead, what is being called for here is that we are to pray for our enemies that they would come to know the grace of God, and that God would even be pleased to open their eyes to see what they are doing, and that God would show them their own need of the Saviouir Jesus Christ.
There are two beautiful examples of this in the Scriptures. The first is from the Saviour Himself as he hung on the cross at Calvary. As these soldiers nailed him to the cross, due to no fault or sin of his own...
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Christ offered up a prayer for God’s mercy upon these very men as they crucified Him… The very men who were driving nails into his hands, and taking the very last of his belongings and dividing them between themselves. These are the men that he prayed for.
The other example is of course Stephen. Here was a man who was filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Note that important connection. The young man Saul, who was standing there approving of this work. Stephen’s prayer that God would not hold this against these men. And then Christ choosing Saul to proclaim the Gospel, and write much of the New Testament record that we have today.
Now, I’m not suggesting that it’s only as a result of Stephen’s prayer that this happened. But nonetheless, we must not underestimate the power of God’s work through the prayers of his saints, even as they pray for their enemies.
Friends, we must pose that question to ourselves. Do I pray for those who persecute me. Not self-righteous prayers. Genuine prayers that flow out of a deep humility and a genuine loving care and concern for those that are persecuting us??
As Jesus goes on, he says in verses 29-30...
29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
As we consider these words, we must recognise that Christ is saying to those who hear that they are not to live with a spirit that longs for retribution and retaliation. The Christian is not to live his life seeking retribution agains those he believes have wronged him.
He says that if someone strikes you on one cheek, you should turn to him the other also. Firstly, let me say that I don’t believe that we are to necessarily take the words ofJesus literally here. Jesus himself didn’t turn his other cheek when he was struck on the cheek by one of the soldiers in John 18:22-23. In Matthew’s version of this sermon, he mentions cutting off your right hand if it causes you to sin. No one will take that literally.
The point that he’s making is that there is a particular manner and disposition that is to mark the Christian’s response in the face of persecution. Instead of seeking retribution, and repaying evil with evil, the one that is a member of the kingdom of Christ will seek to respond in a way that is marked by kindness and humility. One commentator writes...
Luke A. 6:27–38 The Light of Love He Commends
Jesus condemns the spirit of lovelessness, hatred, yearning for revenge. He is saying, “Do not resist the evildoer with measures that arise from an unloving, unforgiving, unrelenting, vindictive disposition.” Once this is understood it becomes clear that “turning the other cheek” means to show in attitude, word, and deed that one is not filled with the spirit of rancor but with the spirit of love.
Let me suggest, this doesn’t really water down the message at all. The simple reality is that to respond to a person’s evil against you with a spirit of humility and concern for that person is something that requires the merciful grace and work of Christ within our heart. This is high calling indeed!
Jesus also says in verse 29, that if someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. This most likely has to do with a person taking you to court in order to take something from you. In light of that, you are not to treat that person with a spirit of retaliation, but rather are to allow God to take vengeance as it is required. Even though someone may take something from you with force, there is not to be a spirit of hatred and animosity that would seek your own revenge.
In verse 30, Christ says that you are to give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. This would have referred most likely to a person who was needy and poor, someone in poverty.
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.
Christ calls his disciples to have a heart to give to those in need. But Christ also says in verse 30 to not demand back from the person who takes what belongs to you.
Does this mean we should always just allow people to take everything away from us, and that we have no recourse whatsoever. I don’t believe that’s the case. The point here is that Jesus brings across these shocking words of a radically different attitude in life so as to awaken his hearers to the kind of kingdom ethic that is to mark their lives.
Luke A. 6:27–38 The Light of Love He Commends
What the present passage teaches is the very important truth that our personal attitude should never be one of taking revenge. In fact, at times the better course may well be to allow the thief to keep the stolen goods. We should be willing, if circumstances so demand, to forego our rights.
What is your attitude towards those who mistreat you, or do those things that are in some form or manner against you? Do you treat them with Christ-like love? Or do you seek to retaliate? Seek to take revenge? Or do you speak against them, wishing them some kind of evil?
At this point, Jesus brings across a summary statement that helps us to put into perspective the manner in which we are to treat those around - both friend and foe! This statement in verse 31 has come to be known as “The Golden Rule.”
31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
In other words, treat other people in the manner that you would appreciate them treating you.
Do you talk to people in a manner that you would like them to talk to you? Do you do things to other people that you would like them to do to you?
We need to very humbly and carefully evaluate our actions, and think to ourselves, if I were in that person’s position - really trying to get into their shoes, understand their weaknesses and struggles, recognise that they too are sinners just like I am, and they struggle just like I do. In light of this, how would I like to be treated, confronted, approached etc.
This is the rule that we should regularly apply to ourselves and evaluate our actions in light of.
With those thoughts in mind in terms of the love of a saint, we must go on to consider the contrast that Jesus presents here. Lest his hearers had the idea that he was going a little overboard in his example, he presents the counter side. He speaks about...
2. The Love of a Sinner (vv.32-34)
2. The Love of a Sinner (vv.32-34)
What Christ now goes on to do is to present the typical manner in which every person in the world loves others. Just in broad pictures, how do the people of the world, those who are unredeemed sinners - how do they love other people? And he confronts his hearers with the inconsistency of claiming to be a member of the kingdom, and yet loving in a manner that can only be consistent with the world. Listen to his words. In verse 32 we read...
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34 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.
Love that is founded on or premised upon whether or not the other person loves me is the typical kind of love that you’ll find anywhere the world around. It is natural and easy to love those who love me; to do good to those that do good to me; to treat people well when others treat me well; to lend money when we expect repayment. Any natural person loves in this way.
But the fact is, if this is the manner in which you as a Christian are going to demonstrate love, then there is absolutely nothing to distinguish your love from that of the world’s. Christ asks the pertinent question - what credit is that to you? Do you think it something special when you show love to those who love you? Do you think that you’re any different as a person for loving a person that loves you?
We like to show acts of kindness to those that are within our company that have not offended us. We have a Christian brother or sister that has treated us well, and we get on well with them, and they find themselves in a time of need, and so we provide for them in their time of need. That’s a good thing - nothing wrong with it.
But what about the brother or sister in our midst who has caused us great offense? What about the person that spoke unkind words about us, or gossiped about us, or failed to help me when I was in a time of need and I particularly needed their help. Do we demonstrate love in a practical way to those people, out of genuine love and affection and care for them?
But taking that a step further, what about the person that has treated us harshly and condemned us. Called us names, mocked us and teased us. How comfortable do we feel in doing good to them? How do we treat them in our day to day lives?
When we lend out money to others, do we only do so when we can expect this person to repay us? Do we lend to those who very possibly will not be in a position to repay us?
We must ask ourselves, what is our natural inclination in this regard? How do our hearts and minds respond to people in the world around us?
Again, there is no credit to us if we conduct ourselves merely in a manner that is common to the world.
With this in mind, we see finally from our text...
3. The Love of a Son (v.35-36)
3. The Love of a Son (v.35-36)
Christ calls his disciples ultimately to love as those who are children of God.
35 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 sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Before we come to the motivator of the love of a Christian, notice that Jesus speaks here about a reward that will be great. If we love in the way that Christ has outlined here, there will be rich rewards in glory one day.
The self-sacrificial love of the Christian is richly rewarded - not because of any merit within the person, but because of the great love and mercy of God towards us! The reward is in proportion to the sacrifice. However, the reward is far greater than the sacrifice.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Further to this, he says that when you do this, then you will be sons of the Most High.
Importantly, we must not consider that this is the grounds by which we become sons of the most high. In other words, we don’t become sons of the most High by loving others.
Rather, this is the evidence by which we are seen to be sons of the most high. When we demonstrate such love to other people, even to our enemies, we are demonstrating that our hearts have been radically transformed by the grace of God, and out of a response to this work within us we now love.
Love for others, even for our enemies, is the fruit of a redeemed heart.
But we must see further that Jesus reveals here the very basis of the radical love that we as Christians are called to demonstrate towards others around us in this world. Jesus says that we do this “because he [God] is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
In other words, God has shown you mercy and and kindness. That mercy and kindness was not shown to a worthy subject. You did not earn God’s love, or merit God’s love in any way. Instead, you, like me, like all men, were ungrateful and wicked.
Paul puts this clearly in his letter to the Romans.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Do you realise that Christ died for you in order to redeem you, while you were unworthy, and in actual fact in rebellion against Him? And God showed you mercy, even though you were unworthy and undeserving of that mercy.
Therefore, because of this great love and mercy that has been shown to you, an unworthy and undeserving person, you are called in light of this great love to...
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Friends, if you are not moved and motivated by this profound reality to love who you consider to be unlovable, and to treat with love those who are “unlovable” then it is very possible, should I say probable, that we have not truly understood the extent of God’s grace towards you.
Listen to the way the Apostle Peter puts it...
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 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. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
In other words, a failure to grow and to be increasing in these various qualities, including brotherly kindness and love, flows out of a failure on our side to remember and to perceive the extent of God’s saving work in our lives.
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
What is the motivation for your love?
What is your standard to which you strive to love those around you?
As an encouragement to you, remember that this is not something that you muster up the strength within yourself to do better. At least that’s not the sole factor involved. Not even the main factor involved.
As the starting point in this, I want to remind each one today that we must recognise and ponder on the gracious work of Christ on the cross for us. If you are not moved to love, and to have a deep love for other people, for your enemies, the starting point is to go to the cross, and to humble yourself there before Jesus Christ, and to pray that God shows you your own sinfulness for what it is, and the grace that He has given for what it truly is.
Meditate on the Scriptures that teach on these important topics. Pray for deeper understanding and appreciation of these things. This is the starting point for developing this love.
In practical terms, I would then encourage you to keep seeking to show that same kind of love to other people. When someone upsets you in life, or makes your life difficult, or does something that causes real hurt, remember the pain of Christ, the agony of Christ, and that which he endured in order to redeem you. And let that drive you to show love to other people.
There is no shortage of need for love. In a world that is currently being fueled by hatred through self-centered agendas and motivations, may the Lord grant us as His children profound grace to love, even those that confront us and are against us.
Only the power of God can work this in us. But the power of God will work that in us as we trust in Him. That’s his promise to us!!!
Let us cling to Christ, and trust in Him, and so love our neighbour and the world.
Amen!