An Impacting love.
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· 7 viewsThe way we love others will have an impact on their lives. Revolutionary love.
Notes
Transcript
Read Luke 6:27-36
Introduction:
Story of Korean pastor whose son was killed by a communist officer.
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1771 At Home with Son’s Killer
During the Korean war, a South Korean Christian, a civilian, was arrested by the communists and ordered shot. But when the young communist leader learned that the prisoner was in charge of an orphanage caring for small children, he decided to spare him and kill his son instead. So they shot the nineteen-year-old boy in the presence of his father.
Later the fortunes of war changed, and the young communist leader was captured by the United Nations forces, tried, and condemned to death. But before the sentence could be carried out, the Christian whose boy had been killed pleaded for the life of the killer. He declared that he was young, that he really did not know what he was doing. “Give him to me,” said the father, “and I’ll train him.”
The United Nations forces granted the request, and that father took the murderer of his boy into his own home and cared for him. Today the young communist is a Christian pastor.
That is an impacting love, a revolutionary love. That’s the kind of love that this world needs to see in us. A love that breaks the heart of those who do not know Christ when they are loved like that.
If we want to impact lives, we must practice an impacting love.
Background:
In the Sermon of the Mount, when Jesus touches the area of personal relationships, He instructed His followers to love with that kind of love.
How is the love that impacts?
A love that goes against our carnal nature.
A love that goes against our carnal nature.
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
That is not natural! It is supernatural!
It’s not natural to love those who hurt you.
It’s not natural to love those who hurt you.
Our sinful nature, the flesh, pushes us to act accordingly to what has been done to us. If someone hurts you, you want to hurt them too. It’s natural to hate them. It is not in you to love them.
It’s natural to love those who love you, not those who hate you or persecute you. By saying, “Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy”, they were following the natural law, not the divine law.
Christ’s law says, “Love your enemies, pray for them”. That is supernatural law!
Supernatural love comes only thru Christ.
Supernatural love comes only thru Christ.
No one can love like that unless Christ has come to dwell in him/her.
It is impossible to do it on your own. You need Christ’s spirit in you to be able to do it.
If Jesus has not come to your life, you cannot love like that.
You may have religion, or the desire to love that way, but without Christ is impossible.
Only the Holy Spirit can do the change in your life to love like that. You must allow Him to take control of your life, your feelings, and your emotions.
A love that seeks the best for enemies.
A love that seeks the best for enemies.
Our sinful nature seeks the worst for our enemies. The impacting love seeks the best for them!
It never seeks revenge.
It never seeks revenge.
“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.
The scribes taught the people to live according to the Lex Tallionis. A law of revenge: “I’ll do to you what you do to me”…
Resentment against someone is the fertile ground where revenge grows. If you are a resented person, you do not love with an impacting love.
Revenge opposes of love! Revenge comes from hatred.
Christ loved this world even when He was unjustly crucified. Even at that moment, He begged the Father to forgive them. There was no resentment in His heart.
When He was being arrested, Peter took a sword a cut the ear of a man, but Jesus said, "do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
His love did not allow Him revenge.
It gives more than what is required.
It gives more than what is required.
“Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
These verses describe legal matters: being sued, and being forced by law.
The first one… is basically saying: do not make enemies because of material things. Show them love by giving to them.
The second one… is teaching us to do more than what is required of you. Show them love by doing for enemies something you are not forced to.
A love that’s different to world’s love.
A love that’s different to world’s love.
In Matthew’s version of the Sermon of the Mount, there are six “you have heard”. In other words: “that is what the world teaches, but I teach you different.”
Worldly love loves the lovable ones.
Worldly love loves the lovable ones.
Loving your parents and children is natural. You do not have to be a Christian to do it! Loving those who love you is easy, even the “Gentiles” (unbelievers) do it. Loving those who treat you well is easy!
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
In the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus went even farther:
“If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
There is also a tremendous and direct application for church people here: If you greet only your buddies, you’re a loving with worldly love. Application!
Christian love loves the unlovable ones.
Christian love loves the unlovable ones.
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
- Who are the unlovable for you?.....
- Think about those who received Christ’ love: the hated publicans, the dirty prostitutes, the stinky lepers, Judas the betrayer, the religious people who condemned him, and the cruel Roman soldiers who crucified him.
Jesus saw their condition and showed them mercy! And that is exactly what He is telling us to do:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
That’s the love we must show to this world. Are you willing? It starts at home (church)!
Conclusion:
Is there any specific person(s) you must start loving with that kind of love?