Luke 6: 27-36
27 “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do what is 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 to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
I have heard people use the Bible to condemn other’s behavior. I have done it myself. My grandmother use to quote 1 Corinthians 11:14 when my brother and I needed a haircut: “If a man has long hair it is a disgrace to him.” How about 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…”to condemn smoking cigarettes. My doctor told me eating too many sweets and taking in too much sugar was just as harmful and addictive as doing cocaine. THIS PASSAGE, though…I mean WHO does this? Who can say you always obey this passage fully? I know I don’t. I don’t always like the people I love and who love me….EVEN SINNERS DO THAT and I’m a Christian!
Are you doing good things for the people in your life who you know can’t stand you? That is what Jesus said to do. When someone breaks in to your storage building and steals your lawn mower do you chase them down the street and when you catch them say; “Hey, you forgot the weedeater.” I read scripture verses every day that convict me….seriously… I am not sure about you but I am always falling short.
This passage is profound! I believe Jesus is doing two important things by sharing these words here: 1). He is helping everyone see clearly that we are sinners and we are not always going measure up to God’s expectations and 2). He knows that and that is why He tells us to just try and do better….don’t always defer to what comes natural but whenever you can…..just every once in a while….try to do something extraordinary……try to do something that is supernatural. Treat someone better than they deserve. Love somebody who is hateful to you. Give to someone who has never done a thing for you. Because if you treat them like they treated you even sinners do that.
I. Redeemed People Should Try To Live Better
As you can tell from Jesus’ first words in this section of Luke 6 the people who live better are the people who have learned to LISTEN to God. Since we were kids we have struggled with listening haven’t we? The tendency of human beings is to follow impulse rather than instruction. There is a thing called “ego depletion.” It is what causes you to reach for that chocolate chip cookie when you are feeling overworked, even though your doctor told you to cut back on your sweets. (Psychologytoday.com)
No matter how saved you are you will still struggle with your natural desires, habits, hang-ups, and even addictions. Just because you are saved doesn’t mean you will be immune to temptation.
There will be times that you will want revenge on the people who hurt you and you will want to hurt the people who took something valuable from you. You will have the tendency to only accept those who are like you, who think like you and see the world the same as you but even sinners do that.
What makes you different as a Christian is NOT that you are perfect. What makes you different as a Christian is that you TRY. There is an acronym I hope you will remember in your effort to try to live better as a Christian using the word TRY remember to TAKE. The RIGHT. YOKE.
In Matthew 11:29 Jesus said; “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me…” There are two kinds of yokes, the single yoke and the double yoke. Jesus was referring to a double yoke. When wearing the single yoke the animal could pull the cart in the direction he chooses but with the double yoke the animal was limited to the will of the other animal he was yoked to. Jesus meant for you to be yoked together with him so that you would go with him and He with you. Some of you are living life with a single yoke…straining and pulling to make things happen your way….EVEN SINNERS DO THAT…..but Christians are yoked together with Jesus and “His Yoke is Easy and His burden is Light!”…so TRY. TAKE. The RIGHT. YOKE.
…the YOKE of JESUS.
This passage in Luke 6, Jesus is really just telling us how he does it. He is saying;
1). I love my enemies…and so should you
2). I do good things for people who hate me…and so should you
3). I try to bless people who are trying to keep me from blessing…and so
should you
4). Whenever people mistreat me…I pray for them…and so should you
5). If someone needs to take their frustration out on me…I let them and so
should you.
6). Whenever someone takes something from me, I don’t try to get it back. As
a matter of fact, I do my best to continue to try and be a blessing to that
person…and so should you.
I don’t just treat well those who treat me well….EVEN SINNERS DO THAT. I TRY to go the extra mile…and so should you!
II. Redeemed People Should Try To Love Better
I love the question Jesus asks us in v.32: 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? That question says several things: 1). It tells us we are supposed to strive to live above the line of just breaking even…. that is what sinners do. We are to seek for a “credit.” A lot of people plan to make it to heaven on their own merit but based on my myself and what I deserve I am in the negative. There is no credit but only a balance due. God’s Grace through Jesus Christ is what balanced my account, got it out of the red, and made it possible for me to have an account credit. Do you know what Greek word is used here that is translated “credit?” CHARIS – GRACE.
We should want an opportunity to show others grace. It should make us happy not haughty when we forgive someone for doing us wrongly. We could just sit back and wait for those who have treated us badly to eventually pay for it but EVEN SINNERS DO THAT. God wants us to LOVE BETTER!
V.33 and 34 are practically the same as V.32 33 If you do what is 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 to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full.
It sounds like Jesus is giving sinners a lot of credit in these verses and maybe that is because we are all sinners…just like we are all human beings…and all human beings have the same creator….and we all possess the DNA of our heavenly father…but that which sets us apart are the supernatural things the redeemed can accomplish because of God’s wonderful GRACE!
35 But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
1). We can LOVE OUR ENEMIES….sinners don’t do that
2). We can do what is good in the face of evil….sinners don’t do that
3). We can give without expecting anything in return….I don’t know of anybody
who does that!
WE CAN DO THESE THINGS BECAUSE WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN AND OUR FATHER IS GRACIOUS! SO I encourage you all to leave here today and BE GRACIOUS! BE MERCIFUL! LIVE BETTER! LOVE BETTER!
