God’s Enabling Love — Sermon by Rev. Craig Stephans

Lord as we just sang we come to you

humbly asking your gracious blessings we

implore you oh God for the blessing of

hearing the

gospel receiving it believing it and

living according to it holy spirit we

ask you to come and make your grace

abound To Us by applying this word to

our lives with power and conviction that

we might be Witnesses of Jesus Christ in

this world at this time it's in his name

we pray amen please be

seated as we can continue to hear this

text from Luke's gospel for the second

week in a row and as I have been

reflecting on how to preach from this

teaching of Jesus the scripture comes to

mind from the last chapter of Isaiah

prophecy and it's Isaiah

66: 2 where God speaks through the

prophet he says all these things my hand

has made and so all these things came to

be declares the Lord but this is the one

to whom I will look he who is humble and

contrite in spirit and trembles at my

word this is the one to whom God looks

or some translations whom God esteems

it's the person who is humble and

contrite trembling at God's word as he

or she considers it and I don't think

there's any other proper way to stand

before this word from Jesus that we read

this morning except to be contrite to be

humble and to

truly tremble at it and tremble at what

Jesus is

teaching there's I think three ways we

can approach

these gospel passages the sermon in the

Valley from Luke The Sermon on the Mount

and

Matthew and all of them seem to be

acceptable in

Christendom and one is to see this as an

impossible command and imperative from

Jesus he says to us these things that we

can never do so we throw up our hands

and say Lord have mercy on me we look to

the cross and we let all of these things

go and we get on to the rest of the New

Testament the other is

to think that we can do these on our own

I'm a Christian I'm a good person I can

follow what Jesus says and we approach

it with vanity and pride and

huy only to later find out that we can't

do it and either be in denial or

condemnation I think both of those ways

are an air in the true way is to see

this for what it is the word of God that

is living and active it is sharper than

any double-edged sword and as we allow

it to speak to us it pierces our heart

it pierces our soul it brings us to

humility and Contrition and to Trembling

before God and saying God have mercy on

me and being thankful for the Cross of

Christ where Jesus died for our sins and

for our failure and inability to keep

his word

and at the same time look to his

resurrection and the power of the holy

spirit that has been poured out on those

who believe and to pray for God's holy

spirit to transform us to sanctify us to

change us into people that can learn to

live in this word and in this way of

life that Jesus presents us with that he

himself

fulfilled and that's the approach I'm

taking as I read through through this

gospel i' encourage you to turn to Luke

Luke 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6 as we walk through

it two Saturdays ago at the Whitfield

Center there was a book

signing a man named Frank da who's a

Elder in a church near Richmond Hill had

his wife and friends and they gathered

to celebrate his publication of a book

it's a 30-day devotional for men about

building up our security in Christ

about being delivered from insecurities

and false teachings of the world and our

flesh and those of us who were at prayer

over there at the Whitfield Center on

Saturday you know met Frank I got his

book I've been reading it it's really

good and as I was reflecting on some of

the questions his book asked there is

one where he confronts the reader and in

this case me and he says what does it

mean to be called a new creation in

Christ based on 2 Corinthians 5:17 where

2 Corinthians 5:17

Paul writes therefore if anyone is in

Christ he or she is a new creation or a

new creature and I started thinking

about what does it mean to be a new

creation does it mean just being a

little bit better than I was or just a

little bit better and different morally

than the world or does it mean really

being made new in the image of Christ

and being like the Bible says Born Again

from above not according to any human

will but according to the will of the

father does it mean dying to myself and

truly being alive to God and a temple of

the Holy Spirit and as I approached Our

Gospel passage both last week as Father

Brian preached it and this week as I'm

trying to preach it I thought about what

it means to be a new creation in Christ

is to take this teaching from Jesus's

sermon seriously and to spend time with

it and ask God for help to live in it

and for a transformation of our hearts

and souls to be the kind of

people that follow in the way of Jesus

that he presents

here I truly believe that what Jesus is

presenting us with is life in the

Kingdom of Heaven it is the ultimate way

of life in this world as a citizen of

Heaven as a follower of Christ as

someone who is seeking him

aiming for Perfection aiming to live by

faith expressing itself in love

recognizing that we sin that we fall

short but looking to him to continue to

lift us up to cleanse us from all

righteousness as we approach Luke

Luke 6:27

6:27 in this first paragraph Jesus says

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 abuse you to the one who strikes you

on the cheek offer the other also and

from one who takes away your cloak do

not withhold your tunic either give to

everyone who begs from you and from one

who takes away your goods do not demand

them back and as you wish that others

would do to you do so to

them I can be thankful and I think many

of you can be that when I think ah love

my enemies well I don't really have many

enemies that I need to love do good to

those who hate you well I don't know if

anyone really hates me so I can just

move past that one bless those who curse

you well I know there's people out there

cursing all of the Christians and but I

don't know who they are let's just move

on pray for those who abuse you thanks

be to God I'm not being

abused nobody is hitting me on the cheek

no one's taking anything from me really

and and then maybe I think about someone

that I got mad at and and just say a

quick prayer for them and move

on but surely there's more than

that because as we really spend time

which we need to do on this word spend

time lord who are my

enemies we all have enemies as Believers

in Christ as those who practice our

faith we have enemies all around the

world who hate us who would if they

could strike our cheeks who would abuse

us who are they and how can we pray for

them we see them in the news we hear

about them in our reports there were 70

Christians who were killed and martyred

in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

recently we don't know who exactly did

that but we know the types of people

they are it's a Muslim group

we know again and again we hear about

what Hamas has done to those in

Israel maybe those are the people who

might be considered our enemies or for

some it is the Israeli military who's

been fighting against Gaza people see

that and they think that's their

enemy maybe we are not being hated but

there is hate there is hate between all

kinds of people how can we think of

those who are

hateful and consider how Jesus responds

to them how he takes it personally that

hatred for any person who is made in His

image and likeness that hatred toward

anyone for whom he died how can we pray

for those who are eaten up with hatred

maybe they're not targeting us but they

are

hateful what about those who are abusing

others

thankfully I hope we are not being

abused but there is abuse that is

happening every single day all around

the world there is abuse taking place

against children there is abuse taking

place against women there is abuse

taking place against the weak the

vulnerable how can we stand in the gap

for those who are abused and take it

personally even as Jesus Takes it

personally when one of his little ones

is abused we do have the hateful that we

can pray for we do have the enemies that

we can do good to we do have the abusers

that we can pray

for who is it that would strike us on

the cheek in one way or the other if

they

could how can we offer to them a

blessing who is the one who could would

steal from us if they could if we

weren't a little bit guarded about

getting scammed who is the one who would

take advantage of us and steal from us

they are scamming others they are taking

advantage of others and stealing what

they have how can we not withhold from

them our prayers and

blessings we know that we are faced with

Beggars with those in need sometimes

personally sometimes through email

sometimes through phone calls there are

those in need all over the world how can

we offer what we have to

them how can we love others that are not

lovable naturally to

us how can we intercede in prayer for

those who are abusing and those who are

being

abused that's what Jesus is calling us

to to intercede with loud and earnest

cries for those who are not in the

Kingdom for those who are not living

according to the love of Christ he is

calling us to commit to their well-being

those for whom he

died John writes in his prologue in

chapter 1 in verse 4 that in Jesus was

the

life that was the light of men and he

says that light shines in the darkness

and the Darkness has not overcome it and

there is so much darkness in the world

there is so much Darkness where people

hate so much Darkness where people abuse

so much Darkness where people

curse and

steal and hurt

others how is it that the light finds

those places and shines and overcomes

well I think that light is just waiting

to be activated by the earnest prayers

of God's people who take such things

personally who so identify with Christ

who was crucified for all of that that

we make

intercession that we pray for repentance

and Contrition for those that's the way

of the Kingdom that's the way that God

calls the church to live he says if you

in verse 32 if you love those who love

you what benefit is that to you for even

Sinners love those who love

them if we are not differentiating

ourselves as a church Church from the

way of the world from those who are

unbelievers then we have no right to

exist as a

church that's what Jesus is saying here

in his call for disciples he's saying

unless you deny yourself unless you die

to yourself and take up my cross you

cannot be my disciples there has to be a

transformation among Christ's

people that makes them lovers of their

enemies that makes them blessers of

those who curse that makes them pray for

those who abuse them or

others in the psalm today the psalmist

says hey don't worry about those who

fret or don't fret over those who do

evil neither be envious of those who do

evil for they shall soon be dried up

like the grass and be withered even as

the green herb and I will admit that

when I see evil being

done how I consider it evil when I see

abuse and hurt happening in the world my

instinct is

God take

Vengeance God destroy these people God

pay these people

back but that's not the way of

Jesus Jesus died for those people he

loved those who hated in verse 33 and if

you do good to those who do good to you

what benefit is that to you for even

Sinners do the

same this is offensive to our souls do

good to those who are doing evil to me

no thank you we think about it mentally

oh yeah that's that's the Sermon on the

Mount that's a sermon in the valley and

Luke that's that's good stuff great

teaching but I hate that person that

person needs to get recompense something

needs to happen to them and we move on

if you let to those from whom you expect

to receive what credit is that to you

even Sinners lend to Sinners to get back

the same amount every Bank does it every

Credit Union does it how are Christians

different than

that 35 but love your enemies and do

good and lend expecting nothing in

return what that is so contrary to our

souls and this world yet that is the way

of

Jesus and he said says and your reward

will be great and you will be sons of

the most high for he is kind to The

Ungrateful and evil be merciful even as

your father is merciful there are two

things that Jesus is presenting to us

one is eternal life in the Kingdom where

our reward if we follow his way we'll be

great the other is that we would be born

again we would be Sons and Daughters of

the most high God having the status of

firstborn Sons before God he is giving

giving us such an reward reward such a

life that doesn't even compare to the

best life in this world like Jesus will

say later what does it profit a person

if he gains the whole world yet forfeits

his or her soul nothing but I am showing

you a way that is greater an eternity in

heaven full of rewards a life now is my

child and he will be with us forever

this is the way of the Lord it is the

way that he has given to each of us each

one of us was God's enemy each one of us

was full of hatred each one of us was

abusive toward God abusive toward

ourselves mean to others the same grace

and mercy and forgiveness that God has

given to us is what he's asking to give

to

others in verse 37 probably the most

quoted scripture by those who don't

believe in Jesus and those who don't

follow Jesus judge not and you will not

be judged condemn not and you will be

condemned how many times have we heard

that well the Bible says judge not so

don't talk about what I'm doing don't

expect me to change but if we look at

the whole context of the scriptures we

know that God does discriminate and

judge and ask us to do the same about

behaviors I mean Paul writes in

Galatians this whole differentiation

between the works of the Flesh and The

Works in fruit of the spirit and tells

us reject these and walk in the way of

the spirit but what God doesn't call us

to do in what he thanks be to God has

not done for us is he has not judged us

Unworthy of receiving his grace and

mercy and forgiveness and eternal life

and that I believe is what Jesus is

Calling and commanding each one of us to

do is to look at the people that we

consider enemies that we consider

hateful that we consider abusive toward

us that we would like God to just

immediately take Vengeance on he is

calling us not to judge them Unworthy of

God's grace and mercy and

forgiveness because the worst that we

see in others has already been forgiven

in us and already nailed to the cross of

Christ so God is saying don't judge

someone whom Jesus died for as Unworthy

of that

sacrifice we're all unworthy but we are

all worth it according to God God loved

the world so much that he gave his only

begotten son that whoever believes in

him should not perish but have eternal

life God demonstrated his love for us

that while we are yet sinners Christ

died for

us don't judge anyone as unworthy to

receive that love of God that saves and

renews and makes

new when we see evil represented in

others or in ourselves when we see abuse

happen when we see cursing what we are

seeing is one for whom Christ died and

the expressions of sin for which Christ

died so that they can be forgiven and

that person as evil as they are

appearing can be born again from above

and have eternal life and be Sanctified

and transformed by the power of the Holy

Spirit into a new person which is what

God is doing in each of us who are no

more worthy than the worst that we see

so he is calling us in these scriptures

to bless them and for Jesus it's not a

posture it's a practice of blessing and

doing good and

giving and for Jesus one of the greatest

goods and practices that can be done

what he demonstrated is prayer and

intercession and

blessing this is what Jesus went up on

the mountain to do to pray and to

intercede this is what he woke up early

and went to quiet and desolate places to

do to pray and to intercede this is what

he stood up to do through his

proclamation of the gospel and through

his miracles which was to

bless it is not not a small thing for

you to commit your time and your energy

to pray earnestly for the Salvation for

the repentance for the fear of the Lord

among those who would be considered

enemies among those who have hate among

those who are hurting or abusing others

it is the way of Christ to devote

yourself and offer them your

prayers your intercession your prime

time

and there are promises there are rewards

for those who do such things even in

verse well continuing verse 37 he says

condemn not and you will not be

condemned forgive and you will be

forgiven it's a reminder of the two

sides of the coin of forgiveness forgive

and you will be forgiven but Matthew

Matthew 6:12

6:12 if you do not forgive your brother

who sins against you you will not be

forgiven forgive those

who you have animosity toward and pray

for them whether it's someone close to

you or whether it's a stranger that you

just read

about it is so difficult as Father Brian

preached last week to see online or in

the news or in social media someone who

makes you really angry they are so

wrong and you disagree with them so much

that you want to type something you want

to just wish something bad would happen

to them but what Jesus is calling us to

do is pray for them

to do good to them to bless them and

it's so painful when we see those

exchanges of conflict and animosity even

among strangers there's two Christian

authors that I have books by that I

respect who are right now in some kind

of heated conflict online it's it's

terrible that's not the way of Christ

the way of Christ is to spend ourselves

for the sake of other Soul like Paul

writes in 1 Corinthians 12:15 he says I

1 Corinthians 12:15

will most gladly spend to be spent for

your souls for the sake of other

salvation there's a a quote by an author

I can't remember who said it but he says

we live in a world of the blind that

condemns those who see we live in a

world of the blind that condemns those

who see and speaking of spiritual sight

speaking of the way of Jesus it is so

easy and natural just to follow the way

of those who don't see spiritually into

the Kingdom of

Heaven it is truly a work of the spirit

a work of our Sanctified will to see

spiritually and to live according to

what God has shown us and not fall back

into the way of those who do not see and

Jesus says As Luke's teaching goes on as

his teaching in Luke goes on he says in

verse 39 he tells him a parable can a

blind man lead a blind blind man will

they not both fall into the pit it does

the world and the lost no good if we

live just like them if we live as though

we didn't see the truth of the

Gospel as though we weren't involved in

this Kingdom work it does the world no

good but if we see we are able to lead

the

blind to where there is spiritual sight

to where there is

salvation and that's what Jes Jesus is

calling us to do he calls us in this

teaching to take the log out of our own

eye so that we can see the speck in our

brother or sister's eye to remove it but

we must humble

ourselves repent and tremble at God's

word inviting it into our

lives there's a index in the stock

market in the S&P 500 called the vix

viix it's the volatility index and I

don't know too much about it but what I

know is that investors don't like when

there's a lot of volatility in the stock

market except for a few that take

advantage of it to make money at the

expense of others but I thought of that

in terms of the

church you know investors like when the

vix is very low and there's not much

volatility and the church should not

experience all this

volatility that creates anxiety that

creates stress that creates an animosity

among Believers but when when we are not

rooted and founded in the teaching of

Jesus and the gospel we become subject

to the same whims of the world and the

daily news that causes the vixs of the

S&P 500 to go up and down and for people

to make to become nervous and for

predators to try to take advantage of

things we have to base our lives on the

truth and steadiness of the Gospel the

rock of Christ that does not change so

that we can be a place of peace and

refuge refuge for all those who are

experiencing the ups and downs the

blessings and curses of the

world another quote from Frank day's

30-day devotional for men which I

thought was so poignant and appoo to

this teaching he says before you work

yourself into frustration stress or vain

imaginations about living what Jesus

commands he says take rest and knowing

that Christ will Love You Through The

Impossible today as you face the demands

of Christ's discipleship and this sermon

that he gives us take rest in knowing

that Christ will love you through the

impossible and that unconditional and

unfailing love will en allow and enable

you to love others through their hate

through their conflicts and animosity

through their cursing through their

their stealing through their abusing or

being

abused to Salvation to repentance

through your prayers and through your

blessings the final verse of Paul's

reading that was read from First

1 Corinthians 15:49

Corinthians

15:49 says just as we have borne the

image of the man of dust we shall also

bear the image of the man of heaven and

I leave you with that promise

that as we bear the image of the man of

dust and we all fall into the traps and

stumble into the traps of this

world we are being transformed into the

image of the man from Heaven Jesus

Christ and it is being perfected in us

through his grace and through the power

of the Holy Spirit and through our

community of life together it is coming

to pass because it is God's purpose and

God proom

promises that his purpose will prevail

and his love endures forever so when you

are

challenged let God's let God love you

through the imposs possible task of

loving your enemies of blessing those

who curse you of doing good to those who

abuse you or those that you see doing

that his love will love you through the

impossible thanks be to God

Amen e