When People See You – They See….. (Part 3)
Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30; Mark 16:17-18; Luke 6:27-38; John 13:34-35
Introduction:
Several weeks ago I started this series by asking “What do people see when they see you?” Do they see the Spirit of God operating in your life or do they see your flesh dominating your existence? Do they see someone who has compassion or someone who is truly out to get theirs even if that means someone else must be pushed aside? When people see you, what do they see? In my previous two messages I told you about what Jesus said would be present to those that believed which are still present and available to us today. However, if you choose not to believe in the supernatural, there is one core quality of your life that will always define you as a child of God – love.
I have preached many sermons about love and one thing remains true, the more I study it, the more I continue to learn. Just as faith is an action, so is love. If you say you have faith, yet you never act on it, your faith is dead. If you say you have love yet you never put it into action, your love does not exist. This morning I want to share with you the importance of love and how it truly defines the core of who you are.
I. Love In Action Towards Enemies
“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.” Luke 6:27-28
Luke 6:27-38 records Jesus explaining to His disciples about love in action. You see, it was not enough to just say you love someone, He actually explained to them that love is an action. During the time that Jesus taught this lesson to His disciples, the Jews were being oppressed by the Romans and therefore they hated them. When Jesus told the people to love their enemies, many could not do it and chose to stop following Him. You see, it is much easier to hate than it is to love. But you must understand, Jesus was not talking about having “affection” for enemies, He was talking about an act of the will. This is what many people fail to understand in their relationships, love is a choice, an act of your will. Just as you can choose to hate, you have to make the choice to love and this is what Jesus was talking about. You can’t “fall into” this kind of love, it takes a conscious effort. Loving our enemies means acting in their best interest.
In the Luke 6:27-38, after Jesus tell the disciples to love their enemies, He then explains to them how to do it. In verse 27 He says “do good to those who hate you.” This is the first step and it is a huge one because it goes against everything that we have been taught. We justify our “unwillingness” to do this by saying something like “they won’t receive it anyway….they do not like me or won’t have anything to do with me…” We need to understand that it is not about the person, but about us. Whether a person chooses to receive the love is not a condition or requirement of us showing it. Making the step to do good to those that hate you becomes a defining moment in the rest of your life. In verse 28 Jesus says “bless those who curse you” and “pray for those who mistreat you”. The second part we do not have a problem with, but the first part of this verse hinders us. The world says “do unto others as or before they do unto you”. So by the world’s standard, we find good Christians cussing one another out. Someone said “I’ll go there with you if you want to go there.” Jesus was teaching that we should choose not to go there regardless of if someone else wants to. Speaking a blessing to someone who curses you is for your benefit but it will have an impact on the other person. You may not see it, but it will burn in their minds. I believe God wants us to open the door so that He can do the rest. If our actions open the door instead of closing them, then God has something to work with when He is dealing with those who are lost. The second part of the verse says to pray. We do not have a problem praying for those who get on our nerves. Oftentimes we pray that God will “give them what they deserve” so that we can get even, but this is not what Jesus was saying. He was saying that we should pray for their good, not for their destruction. Again, this is love in action by choice.
Jesus goes on in the remaining verses explaining how we should walk in a spirit of forgiveness and generosity. How many of you carry a little black book around with the names, dates and the amount of the loan of people that owe you money? What would you say if Jesus asked you to write the debt off, destroy the book and be available to give again without expecting it back in return? That is exactly what He says in verse 30. Now I need you to examine closely what He says in verse 32. He says “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” He says the same thing about doing good to those who do good to you. It is easy to love someone who loves you. It is very easy to give to someone who is constantly giving to you. The hard part comes when you are doing it for someone who couldn’t care less about you. We have more compassion for those we do not know and cannot see than those we interact with on a daily basis. For example, when the tsunami hit late last year killing all of those people, the world reached out in donations to help those in need. When other tragedies have happened, the world has reached out to donate. But what about the everyday person who is walking among us, who are in need of food, shelter, and love? If they do not look like us or act like us do we help them? What about those who choose violence as a means for dealing with life – do they need love? It is very easy to love the lovable, but difficult to love someone who has nothing to offer you in return or chooses not to offer you anything although they have everything.
In verse 35, Jesus begins His summary of the lesson. What comes through those verses is that love is an action. He points out that one way to put love to work is to take the initiative in meeting specific needs. Again, this is easy to do with people who love us, people whom we trust; but loves means doing this even to those who dislike us or plan to hurt us. The money we give to others should be considered a gift, not a high-interest loan that will help us more than them. We should give as though we are giving to God. In verses 36-37 He explains that we should be merciful, as our Father is merciful. We should also refrain from judging. How many times have we witnessed someone in a hardship and explained away our unwillingness to assist them by judging them. The judgment starts off like thins “they should have know better; it was their own fault; if I help them they will not learn” and the list goes on. We should be willing to assist without judging the person or their situation. Then we come to verse 38 that have been quoted “wrongly” by many, including me.
Jesus says in verse 38 “Give and it shall be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” When I read this verse, I think of when I was growing up as a child. On most Sunday mornings my father would go to the store and buy the Sunday paper and cereal for our breakfast. Although there was a variety of cereals that we ate, on some Sundays he would bring home “special cereal” like Frosted Flakes. When I was a child we had specific bowls for cereal and they did not hold a lot and we could not get seconds. So when I poured the first amount in the bowl I would smash it down so I could get more into the bowl. Thank God for the large Tupperware bowls so I no longer have to do this. Anyway, this is the image that I see when I read this verse. I have heard (and read myself) this verse for many years when it is time to take up an offering. The message was that if you gave more to the Church then more would be returned to you – good measure and pressed down. Although I believe that God honors what we give through our tithes and offerings, this particular verse was not pertaining to that type of giving. When you read this verse separate from the others it would give the impression that all you have to do is give and you will receive your return. However, this verse is actually talking about you giving to and “loving” those who have are your enemies and then it would be credited to you. And it was not just talking about giving money, but included giving your time and love in addition to your material things.
It is important that we look at this verse in context with the preceding verses. The preceding verses were not talking about you doing things for family, friends, church members, etc, whom you have a relationship with. It was talking about you doing things for those who truly do not like you. When you do that, “then” you can expect the fulfillment of Luke 6:38. As I said previously, love is an action and it requires that you do something. Why is it some important, besides the fact that Jesus commanded us to do it? It is because of the evidence that it produces. Evidence is defined as something that makes another thing evident, as in a sign. In other words it is something that makes something else easy to perceive or to see. When someone is accused of something and they must go to court, they are found guilty or innocent by the amount of evidence that is presented for or against them, in theory that is. Love is the evidence that confirms who we claim to be. If there is no love, there is no evidence that I am who I say I am. Turn with me to John 13:34-35.
II. By This All Men Will Know We Are His Disciples
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Jesus told His disciples that if they had love for one another that “all” men would know that they belonged to Him. He did not say that only Christians would know, He said that “all” men would know. The evidence that proves that we belong to Christ is the love that we have for one another and out fellowman. This love cannot be love in words, but it is love that is in action. To love others was not a new commandment (see. Lev.19:18), but to love others as much as Christ loved others was revolutionary. Now we are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Such love will not only bring unbelievers to Christ; it will also keep believers strong and united in a world hostile to God. Jesus was a living example of God’s love, as we are to be living examples of Jesus’ love. He said that our Christ-like love will show we are His disciples. Will people see petty bickering, jealousy and division in our Church as evidence of God’s love being here? Or will they know we are Jesus’ followers when they see us loving one another? Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself action. In our actions towards each other, those we love as well as those that do not like or love us; our enemies.
How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it is not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do and that is why people notice when you do it and know that you are empowered by a supernatural source. John said in 1 John 3:18-19 “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of truth and will assure our heart before Him.
I stated in the first message that we are defined by many things. We are defined by our jobs, our possessions, where we live, our family name as well as who we know. All of these things mean nothing to God when He is looking at what defines a man. When God looks upon us and evaluates our lives, He looks for the quality that is within Him and if we are displaying that within us. God is love, plain and simple. Because He is love, he expects us to allow His love to flow through us to touch others, especially those who are our enemies. Jesus is the perfect example of God’s love for us. The things that Jesus did (the actions He took) were motivated by the love that He had for us that came from the Father. He passed the torch to us – we must carry it in His name. He told us to love and by doing so everyone would know that we belong to Him. Do you belong to Him? When people see you, do they see God within you? Are you allowing His love to flow through you? Today is not too late to make that decision – you can start right now. May God continue to bless and keep you.
