Luke 6:27-36 - A New Community: New Ethics

Thank you all so much for leading us in worship.

If you'll turn with me this morning to Luke chapter 6, Luke 6, we're in the middle of

Luke 6 · chapter mention

a sermon Jesus preached to his followers as he began to shape a new community in very

unique ways.

Last week we saw that he was calling them to have new values, strange values, very distinctive

from those around them.

They were going to be very different in what they treasured.

So what would it look like when his followers began to live according to those unique values?

You've got to expect at this point that the ethics Jesus calls his followers to will be

unique as well if they're going to reflect those unique values.

If you ask anyone in the world, just someone on the street, what Jesus told his followers

to do and they could only give you one word to answer, what word do you think they might

pick?

What word would come to mind for you?

A lot of them would say love, like I just heard several of you say.

Love.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French general, would agree with that answer.

He reportedly once said, Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires, but

upon what did they depend?

Force.

Centuries ago, Jesus started an empire that was built on love and even to this day, millions

will die for him.

An empire built on love.

Love.

That's the essence of this new ethic Jesus has for his followers.

Well, that doesn't sound real unique, right?

I mean, lots of people recommend love, parents, preachers, politicians, singers.

You know, everybody talks about all you need is love, love.

I'll stop.

Love is all you need, right?

Love.

Should be easy.

This should be a happy sermon, a very simple, short, you hope.

Jesus does indeed call us to love, but this is unique love.

It's shaped by these new values he's given us.

I wouldn't use the word easy for what Jesus is about to call us to.

Hear God's word at Luke 6, verse 27.

Luke 6:27

Timeless truth from the God who designed us and this world.

He speaks.

Hear his voice.

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 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.

If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you?

For even sinners love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you?

For even sinners do the same.

And if you lend 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.

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 is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Pray with me.

Father, we give you thanks for these, your words.

But we struggle with living like this.

They convict us even upon the reading of them.

We do ask that you would give us your heart.

Your love.

Your eyes to see what it will look like to love others in the ways that you have called us to.

Jesus, we ask that you would do that work in us this morning.

That it would be a change of heart that flows out and changes our lives.

And impacts many around us.

Would you work by your spirit through your word this morning to change us?

We ask in your name.

Amen.

I am not usually a fan of corny acrostics.

Actually, maybe I am.

But I don't want you to think that I am.

And I saw one this week that is a little bit helpful, even if corny.

Love.

What's love?

Love is living our values every day.

I think that's helpful to us.

Because to talk about love here, we need to see the connection between where we were last week in the first part of Jesus' sermon.

Talking about our values.

What we value.

What we value.

And what it looks like now this week to connect that to how we live.

To what actually shows up in our lives day in and day out.

We said there were these new values Jesus was calling his followers to have.

You may remember some of them.

They would value eternity above today.

They would treasure Jesus more than the things of this world.

They would consider the have-nots more blessed than the haves.

No big deal.

That's easy, right?

You got those all fixed in your hearts this week.

Those of you who were here last time, a few days to straighten that out.

Now that you've got the values straight, let's talk about the change that's taking place in our lives.

Having set our hearts in the appropriate direction, what does that look like when we've lived following them?

Challenging values and this will be challenging this morning as well.

Jesus begins to tell his followers what it looks like when we live our values every day.

When love is a feeling that flows into action.

When the truth of the gospel and the values of the kingdom aren't just theoretical,

but they begin to permeate every aspect of our lives.

We're different people.

We do different things.

What's that going to look like?

So I'll describe the love that Jesus is talking about here as being so full in Jesus

that you give relentlessly with no need to receive repayment.

Do you see in that the connection to the values?

Jesus is the treasure.

We have him.

Nothing else is needed to make us blessed.

To make us full.

And so we share everything with others.

We give away.

Tangible, intangible.

We'll talk about the details.

Let me say up front that this is a mindset Jesus is calling us to have.

An approach to all of life.

A perspective on every situation we walk into that Jesus is giving us.

This is the only disclaimer I'll give this morning.

It's not a checklist that we go complete.

A few things we need to do and be finished with.

So there are times when we must love and we must use godly wisdom as to what that love will look like.

It's not a detailed explanation of every particular situation we'll find ourselves in.

So love in an abusive relationship for instance may look like getting out.

Finding safety.

Getting help for yourself and for the other person.

That may be what love looks like.

But regardless love is the ethic.

The lens through which we are to approach all of life.

What specifically does this love look like that Jesus calls us to?

First it is intentionally for those who are against you.

Verse 27.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr. was in prison in 1963 when he worked on polishing up his sermon on love your enemies.

He was held against his will by those working against him and against his heart for our country.

His enemies were powerful and he was suffering as a result of that.

But it was in that great sermon that he said,

Hate cannot drive out hate.

Only love can do that.

Have we not come to such an impasse in our modern world that we must love our enemies or else?

1963.

And King proposed a new path.

To our most bitter opponents we say,

We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering.

We shall meet your physical force with soul force.

Do to us what you will and we shall continue to love you.

To 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.

This is revolutionary.

In case you hadn't noticed.

Love has a target, Jesus says.

And it's targeted towards someone.

Perhaps towards someone who's targeted you for ill.

And Jesus says,

You target them for good.

Perhaps the person has betrayed you.

Perhaps the person has excluded you.

Perhaps the person has let you down.

Failed you.

Disappointed you.

Caused you great harm.

And Jesus is calling us to move intentionally toward those pushing away from us.

To begin demonstrating love toward those who don't deserve it.

Toward those our hearts are rightfully struggling to have warm feelings towards.

See that's part of what agape love means.

That's the word in the Greek for love in this passage.

You may know there are several types of love in Greek.

This is not the word for romantic love.

This is also not the word for appreciative love.

Like, I love Dabo Swinney because I think he's a great coach and I root for his team.

Or like, you love your friend because you think they're a great friend and they like the things that you do.

You appreciate that about them.

This is not that word either.

No, the word Jesus uses for love has in mind, in the word itself, love for the unlovely.

The undeserving.

Because it's an enemy you choose to love.

Not something you see and appreciate in them.

But someone you choose to love.

Being intentionally for those who are against you.

To our most bitter opponents, we say, do to us what you will and we shall continue to love you.

Secondly, when we find those who are against us, love is then actively sacrificial in its generosity.

Look at verse 29.

I can't read these verses without picturing the priest in Les Mis.

You may know the story that the thief, Jean Valjean, has taken advantage of his hospitality.

Has assaulted the priest and has run off with the valuable silverware.

And then Valjean is caught and dragged back to stand before the priest, guilty and ashamed.

And his head is down.

And the priest is upset with Valjean.

But only because he hasn't taken enough.

Valjean meets grace when he comes back before the priest.

It's agape love.

Why did you leave the candlesticks?

They're valuable.

Please take them too.

Now let him go.

A crazy, perhaps seemingly irresponsible love.

A self-giving.

That is exactly what this agape love means.

It's agape love is the love of someone higher, lifting one who is lower.

Bending to aid one who is in need.

And again, just as with the directive to be intentional in seeking out and moving toward our enemies,

the passionate and personal nature of agape love is significant here.

Being actively generous with our forgiveness, with our finances, whatever it happens to be.

Seeking out the one we would show love to.

Finding the one who needs, not the one who deserves.

I often think to myself when I've been offended,

well, I'm willing to forgive.

I'm such a gracious guy.

I'm willing to forgive him as soon as he comes groveling back to ask for it.

As soon as he realizes what he's done and repents,

I'll be here to forgive.

And I feel very gracious and very Christian when I sit back and think I'd be delighted to show forgiveness.

Jesus says, no, no, no.

No, no.

Don't wait for him.

Go to him.

Don't sit back and wait for him to ask.

Move toward your enemy preemptively.

Don't sit back and wait for him to steal your shirt when he takes your coat.

Go ahead and give him the shirt.

At the same time.

That's love.

That's Christian.

That doesn't make any sense.

Unless you've received forgiveness like that from someone who moved toward you.

That doesn't make any sense unless you're so full of the treasure of Jesus

that giving away the shirt off your back again and again could never make you empty.

That giving away the vengeful thirst for justice against your enemy,

giving away the moral high ground against your enemy who's not as good as you,

could never make you empty.

When you've been given to like that,

so full that nothing could take it away from you,

Jesus says you go running around looking for others to give to.

The so-called golden rule right there in verse 31.

As you wish that others would do to you,

do so to them.

Kids, your parents have told you that a hundred times, haven't they?

Treat other people the way you want them to treat you,

and it's still hard to do, isn't it?

You know why it's so hard?

Because they may not treat us back that way.

You may be kind to them,

and they may still be mean back to you,

and that's hard.

It doesn't guarantee that you'll feel good

and that nice things will happen to you.

It actually requires that you think of them first

and how you would want them to feel

rather than how you feel and what happens to you.

But think for just a second, kids.

If you were lonely,

would you want someone to come include you?

If you had hurt someone or said something mean about them,

would you want them to come and forgive you

and tell you it was okay?

If you needed help,

would you want someone to help you just enough

to kind of get you by

or help you a whole lot,

more than you even thought you needed?

What would show you that they really loved you

and cared about you?

Kids, we are to love others so much

that we have to sacrifice ourselves

to give of ourselves,

to be so generous to them

that it actually costs us something,

that we would share something

that means something to us.

Now that's not easy or normal, is it?

Parents, let me ask you this.

How many arguments have you broken up

where both of your kids were insisting

on the other one getting to have their way?

Just imagine it.

You've had this happen many times.

You walk into the room

to the argument that starts with,

dear sweet sister,

I want you to use the doll first.

To which you hear the response,

no darling sister,

I insist that you play with it first.

And the response is,

mom,

why do we always have to do things

the way I want to do them?

She won't play with the doll first.

You interrupt those arguments a lot?

Happens at our house all the time.

We're very spiritual.

That's not natural.

That's not usually the way things are, right?

Thankfully, we grow out of that

me first mentality

and we learn to love

like Jesus is describing

by sometime in early adulthood.

So kids,

now we get to pick on the parents

a little.

How many kids have overheard

their parents saying,

whom would you like to have over

for dinner tonight, honey?

Is there anyone

you're really struggling

to get along with right now?

Let's get them over here.

Spend some time together.

Or,

you know whom we really need

to pray for tonight, y'all?

That family that didn't invite us

to the party

and then went

and told hateful lies

about us to everyone

who was there.

That they seem to be going

through some hard things

and let's pray that God

would meet them there

and bless them.

Can't we pray for them

together tonight?

Is that what happens

at your dinner table?

Those conversations sound

as rare as the

kids' argument I made up?

Seem unnatural to you?

They are.

But I promise

they're not exaggerated

from what Jesus

is calling us to.

Not in the slightest.

I'm taking it easy,

I think,

in those examples.

And that's part of

why we know

that this kind of love

is not natural

to any of us.

No matter what age

we are,

it's entirely

supernatural.

Look at verse 32.

If you love those

who love you,

what benefit is that to you?

Even sinners love

those who love them.

If you do good

to those who do good to you,

what benefit is that to you?

Even sinners do the same.

And if you lend 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.

Listen,

it's fine to hang out

with friends,

to host people for dinner

who will invite you

over next weekend,

to do someone else a favor

because they're doing

a favor for you.

That's fine.

Just don't think

it's unusual

or particularly Christian.

Do you want to be part

of something

that's not natural?

To be part of something

that is world-changing,

that shakes the way

things work

and transforms

a city or the world?

Do you want to be part

of something supernatural?

Verse 35.

Love your enemies.

Do good.

Lend expecting nothing

in return

and your reward

will be great

and you will be sons

of the Most High

for He is kind to whom?

To the ungrateful

and the evil.

Be merciful

even as your Father

is merciful.

When was the last time

you loved somebody

beyond their capability

to love you back?

When was the last time?

The last time

you had someone

in your home

who doesn't have

enough of a home

to invite you back

into theirs?

Gave to someone

financially

who does not have

the means

to pay you back

and probably never will?

Spoke well of someone

and got them in somewhere

when you know

they have no intention

of ever helping

or speaking well

of you.

Spent time investing

in a relationship

with someone

who could never

benefit you socially.

Prayed for God

to bless someone

that you know

isn't praying for you

unless it's

an imprecatory psalm

against you.

Those are the ones

about God please

get the wicked.

That may be the only thing

they'd ever pray for you.

Have you prayed for them?

Jesus says

pray

for those

who abuse you.

It may be the first step

we need to take.

Man if

several hundred of us

took Jesus

seriously

on this thing

it would be

so transformative.

I dare say

it would change

the character

of this city

if not

the broader world

if we actually

lived

like this.

day in

and day out

it's not

normal.

It's supernatural.

See that's what

Jesus says

be merciful

even as your

father

is merciful.

How's that?

What's the

mercy of God

his

grace

his love

look like

toward us?

It's this

agape love

we've been talking

about this morning.

One last thing

about agape

love

in the Bible

agape

is most often

God's

love.

Romans 5

gives us

one picture

of it

while we were

still weak

at the right

time

Christ died

for the ungodly.

God shows

his love

for us

in that

while we were

still sinners

Christ died

for us.

If while we were

enemies

we were

reconciled

to God

by the

death

of his

son

much more

now that

we're

reconciled

shall we

be saved

by his

life.

We were

enemies

of God

attacking

him

pushing

away

from him

wishing

harm

on him

even at

times

unknowingly

by pursuing

our own

agendas

rather than

his

wanting

what we

wanted

rather than

what he

called us

to.

And he

was

for

those

who

were

against

him

loving

unlovely

enemies.

In fact

his

love

was

actively

sacrificial

in its

generosity.

He gave

of himself

the higher

bending

down

to the

lower

and sending

his son

for us.

He poured

himself

out

sacrificially

not just

giving

until it

hurt

but even

to the

point

of death

and as

he died

praying

father

forgive

them

because

we were

so

lovable

he did

that.

Now

weak

ungodly

enemies

he did

that

to make

a wretch

his treasure

in the words

of the song

we sang

earlier.

I know

you've

heard this

before

I'm not

giving new

information

to most

of you

but just

stop and

marvel at

that for

a minute

God

loves

you

like

that

that's

how

merciful

your

heavenly

father

had been

he could

have had

anything

or anyone

he wanted

in his

entire

creation

and he

chose

a wretch

to be

his

treasure

that's

supernatural

love

I love

the story

Corrie

Ten Boom

tells

of the day

she met a

man who

had been

a Nazi

prison guard

at the

concentration

camp where

she had been

a prisoner

this man

is an

enemy

whose face

she could

never forget

she knew him

as soon as

she saw him

there in

Munich

at a

church

where she

was speaking

on forgiveness

and he

comes

running up

to her

afterwards

and he

said I've

become a

Christian

I know

God has

forgiven me

for all

the cruel

things I

did

but I

want to

hear it

from your

lips

as well

Fraulein

will you

forgive me

she

struggled

she felt

nothing

warm

at first

there was

no love

for him

in her

then she

remembered

in that

moment

that Christ

had died

for this

man

how could

she demand

more payment

from him

and so she

held out her

hand with

yet no words

to say to

him

and suddenly

she felt a

love for the

man that she

never expected

to come

she writes

this

I had

never

known

God's

love

so

intensely

as I

did

then

so I

discovered

that it

is not

on our

forgiveness

she didn't

have any

of that

in her

any more

than on

our

goodness

that the

world's

healing

hinges

but on

him

when he

tells us

to love

our enemies

he gives

along with

the command

the love

itself

isn't

God like

that

doesn't

he give

exactly

what he

commands

supernatural

love

that God

has poured

into us

in the

person

of Jesus

so that

we are

so full

that we

can give

it away

to others

with no

need of

repayment

there's

something else

about

Corey's

story

that I

really

love

she

explains

how

dependent

she

remained

on God

to give

her love

for her

enemies

she

writes

further

having

thus

in this

situation

with the

prison guard

learned to

forgive

in the

hardest

of

situations

I

never

again

had

difficulty

in

forgiving

I

wish

I

could

say

it

if

there's

one

thing

I've

learned

at

80

years

of

age

it's

that

I

can't

store

up

good

feelings

and

behavior

but

only

draw

them

fresh

from

God

each

day

she

confesses

as she

writes

this

that as

a 65

year old

some

friends

from her

church

wounded

her

deeply

and that

she

harbored

bitterness

against

them

it

became

in her

heart

something

that

ate

her up

it

caused

her

to have

sleepless

nights

it

caused

her

to

be

hateful

towards

them

and she

found

that forgiving

them

was as

supernatural

and as

much

something

she

needed

God's

love

for

as

forgiving

the

Nazi

prison

guard

years

before

you see

loving

your enemies

only comes

by drawing

fresh

from God

each

day

each

situation

each

moment

where the

truth

of God's

love

for us

has to

come

to bear

on that

relationship

and that

conversation

it's his

supernatural

love

that we

share

you know

that's what

we mean

when we

talk at

Southwood

about expressing

grace

we don't

just mean

being

kind of

nice

and friendly

to nice

church

people

who are

nice

to you

and say

nice

things

about

you

and so

that's

expressing

the grace

that we've

received

hogwash

the grace

we've

received

is so much

bigger

than that

isn't

it

it's

so much

more

amazing

than that

the grace

we receive

is not

to a bunch

of nice

people

the grace

that's been

poured

into our

lives

is the

kind of

grace

where

wretches

become

treasures

expressing

grace

as this

self

sacrificing

enemy

pursuing

gratuitously

generous

intentionally

self

giving

love

permeating

all of

our lives

in every

relationship

even the ones

we don't

want to

have

it pushes

us

towards

them

that's the

kind of

supernatural

love

Jesus

calls

all his

followers

to have

it's not

just for

things I've

told stories

about this

morning

like

healing

racism

and

reconciling

world wars

too

I think

Corey's

story

reminds us

that

we all

have

people

in our

lives

who are

hard

to love

don't we

who comes

to mind

for you

who is it

in your

life

that's

hard

to love

for you

sometimes

it may

be a

spouse

sometimes

a child

sometimes

a parent

a boss

a homeless

beggar

a behaviorally

challenged

kid

in your

class

a socially

challenged

adult

in your

neighborhood

a fellow

church

member

and Jesus

says

in all of

those

situations

I've

poured

my love

into

you

so that

it would

overflow

from you

to them

that's

how it's

supposed to

work

beyond

what they

deserve

beyond

what you

can afford

that you

would love

that's

what it

looks like

to walk

around

in daddy's

footsteps

like the

little boy

you know

little boys

who want

to do

everything

just like

their dad

I want

to be

just like

dad

and they're

trying to

mimic

his

every

move

that's

what it

looks like

to be

merciful

as your

heavenly

father

is

merciful

Korean

pastor

Yang

Won

son

lost

his

two

eldest

sons

at the

hands

of

communist

rebels

who

murdered

them

during

an

uprising

in

1948

shortly

after the

event

police

apprehended

a young

man

in

connection

to

their

murders

and

pastor

son

said

I demand

to speak

to that

man

who

killed

my

sons

when he

sat

before

his

great

enemy

for the

first

time

pastor

son

said

these

words

to him

don't

worry

I

have

already

forgiven

you

and

God

is

longing

to

forgive

you

too

he

asked

that

the

young

man

not

be

punished

but

instead

that

he

be

forgiven

released

actually

released

into

his

custody

to

be

adopted

as

his

son

in

place

of

the

two

sons

he

had

lost

at

the

hands

of

this

young

man

years

later

chai

son

the

former

communist

rebel

wrote

to his

adopted

father

not

because

I

want

to

gain

heaven

or

to

escape

hell

but

because

of

your

love

I

have

come

to

believe

in

Christ

seem

impossible

to

love

like

that

the

father

adopts

as

his

own

son

the

one

who

has

killed

his

son

that's

the

good

news

of

the

gospel

isn't

it

that's

exactly

how

God

has

loved

us

who've

laid

our

hands

on

his

son

only

to be

welcomed

into

his

family

that

kind

of

supernatural

love

belongs

only

to

God

and

to

those

with

whom

he

shares

it

to

those

he

is

remaking

in

his

image

to

you

and

to

me

whom

he

created

for

this

whom

he

called

to

it

and

whom

he

is

enabling

even

now

to

love

our

enemies

just

like

our

heavenly

father

let's

pray

father

thank you

for

your

love

because

we so

often

fashion

ourselves

as

good

people

we

forget

that

your

love

is

designed

to

seek

out

wretches

and

make

them

your

treasure

we'd

so

much

rather

love

good

people

than

be

called

to

seek

out

wretches

but

you're

making

us

to

share

your

heart

so

would

you

do

that

put

someone

on

our

minds

now

bring

someone

into

our

path

this

week

give

us

your

eyes

as

we

prayed

earlier

that

we

would

see

and

share

your

love

with

others

we

would

overlook

with

those

who

don't

deserve

it

with

those

we

are

certain

we

can't

afford

to

give

it

to

make

us

a

new

community

together

for

the

sake

of

your

kingdom

we

ask

in

Jesus

name

Amen

People

They