034 Luke 6:27-35

1/18/12 “How to love your enemies”

(Matt. 5:38–48?)

Continuing with Jesus’ sermon on the plateau, He tackles a very difficult and emotionally hard-hitting topic…”loving your enemies.” Remember that Jesus comes from another Kingdom, with different values and heavenly perspectives. His word is not the wisdom of men or the reasoning of earthly scholars; it is heaven sent and kingdom centered truth.

These are exhortations for citizens of the kingdom of God, and they can only be accomplished by a heart that has been forgiven and born again, by the Spirit of God. They are exhortations that tell His disciples how to live every day, and potential disciples how they afre to live in the Kingdom of God.

Being able to love your enemies is a supernatural work of God’s Spirit, and is the evidence of a changed heart.

27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

If we are honest- we all have someone who comes to mind who has sinned against us…wronged us…hurt us…they are in our heart and eyes our enemy. Jesus commands His disciples to love our enemies…what does that look and how can it be done?

1.    Do good to them...not retribution

2.    Bless them…in the way we talk about them or talk to them

3.    Pray for them. Ask God to change them, to help them, to work in them, to bless them.

Love is not an abstract concept…love is a verb…it is an action that is displayed in real and practical ways.

Love for our enemies is not a feeling…if you wait for feelings to love your enemies, they will never come…it is a choice you make.

*Read Corrie ten Boom article

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”  ? Corrie ten Boom

Forgiven people forgive!

29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.

Jesus isn’t saying that we shouldn’t defend ourselves- in context; He is speaking about how we react when attacked as His disciple. He is saying that we should not retaliate against them.  Evil is not overcome with evil- evil is overcome with good.

Rom. 12:20-21 “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back,"* says the LORD. Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Vengeance is a very strong emotion; it is so strong that when we watch movies that have a good guy and bad guy, we are happy when the bad guy dies---we celebrate that he “got what he deserved.”

*I can recall growing up in a divorced home- without my Father in the home and my mother having a boyfriend living there. I can remember my anger against him, and wishing he was dead, and thinking that when I got old enough and big enough I would beat him to a pulp for how mean he was to us and my brothers.

* Later in life as I entered high school, bring the new kid, I had guys that pushed me around and punked on me and said if I didn’t bring them a pencil everyday they would beat me up- I harbored anger towards those guys and plotted how I would get even with them one day.

Not being a Christian, and not knowing how to pray, forgive and bless caused me to just get hard and angry. If you are a Christian let God fight your battles and right the wrongs and you do good…bless…and pray for them.

30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.

The idea here is that loving our enemies will be displayed in acts of sacrifice, knowing that God will take care of us.

*One time of friend of mine was outside a Marilyn Manson concert and a girl standing outside in the cold said to him, “if you are a Christian, let me have your leather jacket.” He took it off and handed it to her. This girl wasn’t his enemy- but he showed her that she was more important than a piece of clothing. The other side of the coin is this- giving someone everything they want isn’t necessarily love- God will show you how to respond. There should be no limit in our love for others or for our enemies.

31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.

Treat other people the way you would want to be treated.  If you only love those who love you or do good to those who do good to you or lend to those who lend to you, you are no different then people who are not Christians who do the same thing. A person who is a citizen of heaven who claims to love Jesus, should love those even when that love is rejected…the best way to get victory over an enemy is to treat them like a friend.

Forgiveness is a choice!

Jesus spoke a parable, in Matt. 18:21-35. A parable is a short story with a huge truth. Let me read it to you…

Forgiveness doesn’t ignore the offence, but it is acknowledged as wrong, and in giving forgiveness, there is freedom from its power. Un-forgiveness is a prison that you cannot escape until forgiveness is offered and the offence released. Un-forgiveness leads to bondage…bitterness…and depression. When you harbor un-forgiveness that offence will define you, and that person will control you- you need to let it go. Our anger…our rage…our hatred only cause us to be a prisoner!

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Before you come up to receive communion while we sing a worship song together, - we need to dig a little deeper and it may be painful…the shovel may strike some nerves…some hearts…some emotional pain…

As we went through this section of scripture, there is probably someone who has come to your mind. Somebody that you count as an enemy…maybe they are in this room with you now or in this church… The mere mention of their name and their memory stirs up your emotions and turns your gut inside. You hate them…and some of you may wish they were dead…they’ve sinned against you tremendously and wrongly.

It may be an ex-boyfriend…an ex-girlfriend….a step-father…a step-mother….parents who divorced…a parent who left…it may have been a person who you trusted and they used that trust to hurt you. Some of you may have been the victims of physical or verbal abuse…some of you may have been sexually assaulted and you feel like trash, and your nightmare haunts you. You hate that person and wish they were dead. You may be mocked at school for the way you talk or the way you dress or the things you don’t have or the car your parents drive or the poor grades you get…

I remember being jumped in the city by a couple guys as I worked and they knocked me unconscious and left me on the ground with blackened eyes and a gashed lip…they were caught and went to jail for 5-6 years…I called their parole officer when they were getting out and told him to tell them that I forgive them and would like to meet with them…I never got to meet with them, but I have been praying for them. What they did was wrong- but what I did was right…I forgave them.

1. Forgiven people forgive. Forgiveness is based upon the mercy you have received. Matt. 6:12- forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

2. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. Matt. 18:30 (He would not forgive)

3. Forgiveness brings freedom, even if the other person does not change- you change!

I believe tonight is the night where Jesus wants to set you free…He wants to bring healing to your wound…He wants to freedom to your soul…you need to let the sin committed against you go and move on.

And as much as we’ve talked about how we should respond to our enemies, how did Jesus respond? Communion reminds us of this

Jesus said “Love your enemies”… “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8

We were once and maybe some of you tonight are at war with God- your sin has bound you and your rebellion has ut you on the enemies side…Jesus loves you!

Jesus said…“Bless those who curse you”… “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed [is] everyone who hangs on a tree"), Gal. 3:13

Jesus became a curse for us, which turned out to be a blessing for us.

“Pray for those who spitefully use you.”… “Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Luke 23:34

The very people who were driving the nail in His hands were the same ones Jesus was praying for and forgiving.

“Give.” For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son.” John 3:16

Forgiveness is generous and giving! It is not based upon our response or our good deeds…it’s based upon the grace of God.

As I share this song. I invite you to come up and get communion if you are a Christian, as an act of worship, and a step of faith. And as you sit I want you to before Jesus think about the person or people in your life that you thought of as your enemy and the Lord wants you to forgive them from your heart, and let it go. As we celebrate Christ’s forgiveness, we can extend forgiveness to others and be set free.

If you are not a Christian we are glad you joined us, we pray that Jesus has spoken to you, but I would warn you not to come up… 1 Cor. 11 warns us that if we take communion in an unworthy manner, in a mocking way, brings judgment on himself, and some have gotten sick and even died.

If you as a non- Christian realize that you are a sinner and you desire to be saved from your sins, and would turn to Jesus for salvation and forgiveness, you are welcome to come up and get communion and make this an act of worship as you ask Jesus to save you.

After communion I will close in prayer and answer any text questions that came in.