Luke 6:27-38 [7th Sunday after Epiphany]
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace—Benson/Vail, AZ
February 24, 2017
Dear Friends in Christ, How bad have things gotten in this world? Just look around you at school. Look at what gets passed on through media channels. Bullying. Violence. Hatred. Terrible language. Ingratitude. Disregard for human life. Everyone taking offense at everything. People demanding their rights—or that rights be created for them and those who think like they do. People trying to get, get, get for themselves and trampling over others to do so. It should be no surprise to us that God wants something entirely different from all that. And as his people, we do too! There is a way of living that pleases God, a way that expresses gratitude to him for his love. This way of living also makes a difference to people in the world around us. This way of living is Christian love. Jesus impresses upon all who trust in him that… It is…
This World Needs Your Christian Love 1. A Greater Love than the World Knows 2. It is a Reflection of God’s Love
because…
It is a Greater Love than the World Knows Jesus didn’t just say that it would be a good idea for God’s people let their “lights shine.” He didn’t merely suggest that we be “good trees” that produce “good fruit” which is obvious not only to God but to people around us. No, Jesus commanded those things and expects those things because they ought to be the natural response of those who love God and obvious evidence of a person’s faith! Today, Jesus speaks the same way about Christian love. The most important reason we would live the way Jesus wants us to is to thank him for his love, giving him glory and praise with our life. But our living for him also has an effect on people around us and has the ability to change our world—and lead to the Holy Spirit changing people’s hearts and their eternal lives. So what does this Christian love look like? Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other too. This does not come naturally, does it?! And really, that’s the point—Christians are not to do what comes “naturally” to the sinful nature. The sinful nature says that enemies are to be despised. “If someone hates me, I hate them back. If someone curses me, well, same to them! I would rather repay than to pray for someone who does me wrong. And if they dare hit me…” That is the reaction of the sinful nature that lives in us all. But you and I know that Christ Jesus lived a perfect life of love for us and gave that life to pay for our lack of love and all our sins. That good news changes our hearts in a way that opens our ears to Jesus so that we listen to and live what pleases him. This changes our outlook on life. It changes how we look at people and think about them. It changes how we behave toward them.
Think about the effect Christian love and blessings and prayers and lack of retaliation can have on people who are used to everyone being hateful and speaking evil and looking for revenge. You and I, as followers of Jesus Christ, offer something attentiongetting when we do not respond and behave like the bulk of sinful humanity! We offer something positive in exchange for something negative, something helpful instead of something hurtful, something pleasing to our Savior instead of something that is poisonous to our own soul. When faced with responses of Christian love, people may think you’re ridiculous, a doormat to be walked on, and they may try to take advantage of that. While that is true, many may not. It could be that you will “heap burning coals on their head,” like we heard in our second lesson. In other words, your loving response may cause them to burn with shame as they realize their wrong; it may awaken their conscience and lead to repentance. This love for those who are unloving toward us is A Greater Love than the World Knows and it is the kind of Christian love that the world needs. It is also unexpected and attention-getting because it is not devoted to worldly things. If someone takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes away your things, do not demand them back. Well, this seems tough to do too, doesn’t it?! Are you willing to let go for the sake of other people? You probably do that already. You probably give generous offerings to the Lord each week realizing that a large percentage of those dollars go to help people. They go to provide places of worship for people, Bibles and Bible study materials for people, and mission work to reach other people. They support your pastors and their families, along with other people who serve you. You may give to community needs or to assist individuals in crisis or to help fund an innovative idea or startup. But just how far are you willing to go? “I can’t give to everyone! And if they take it from me, that’s not right! What if they take it all? Then what?” Our sinful nature proves its close relationship with worldly things when our minds try to process the words of Jesus. Are we more tied to our Savior and his divine will and purpose for us than we are to worldly things? We may need to repent for our attachment. We may need to hear again the words we heard in the second lesson today: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, maintain peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” says the Lord. But: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
If we follow Christ’s expectation, imagine how that would stand out in a world that is obsessed with things, with stuff, with “toys!” Jesus isn’t talking about being careless with our things or being completely unconcerned about the management of the blessings we have from God. He is talking about not being so emotionally tied to them. Our attachment to our stuff cannot lead to thoughts of revenge or a fear that God will not carry out justice or that he’ll stop providing everything we need.
Again, our unexpected actions can exhibit A Greater Love than the World Knows and that can affect people. Jesus also said, In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). God could use our acts of Christian love to lead people to know God and give him glory. Could there be anything better than that? There is no doubt that This World Needs Your Christian Love! For multiple reasons, Jesus wants us to live by what has become known as The Golden Rule: Treat others just as you would want them to treat you. We live our thanks to God by showing love to those around us. This kind of love is remarkable in a sin-darkened world. It is the light of our faith shining for others to see. Some may take notice and wonder why anyone would be so loving in situations where worldly people would behave very differently. Besides just bringing A Greater Love than the World Knows, it can open the door for sharing Jesus with people. It is a Reflection of God’s Love All of this, of course, is done as A Reflection of God’s Love. We’ve been throwing the word “love” around a lot this morning. I should probably clarify just what this word used by Jesus means. Instead of “I love pizza and I love my dog and I love Arizona and I love my wife,” some of you may know that the Greek language had a handful of words for “love.” They would use whichever word was best for the situation. The word that is always used for God’s love for sinners is “agape.” It means selfsacrificing love, a love that gives things up for someone else. It is a one-sided love that expects nothing in return. Keep that in mind as you hear Jesus say: If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? To be sure, even the sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same thing. If you lend to those from whom you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners lend to sinners in order to be paid back in full. Instead, love your enemies, do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.
Jesus describes agape love. He gives examples of agape love so that we can understand how he wants you and me to be with others. The easiest thing to do is be nice to people who are nice to you. Even worldly people can do that. That is not special. It is not noteworthy. It does not stand out like a light in the darkness. It takes a love like that of Jesus to be nice to people who are not so nice, not so lovable. It takes a love like that of Jesus to do good when not prompted to do so and to expect no thank you note or a favor in return or repayment of any kind. Jesus calls you and me to live a life of love just like his as we live in this quid pro quo world. “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” is the philosophy of a sinful world that is most concerned with self. So it makes an impression when a Christian simply does something good without any concern about what they get out of it: a gift for someone just to be nice and with no thought of receiving one from them at some point…inviting someone to dinner without expecting an invite in return…helping someone with a project, not hoping that they’ll feel obligated to help you out in return. How refreshing it is when people receive this kind of treatment from us!
Consider how God has shown exactly this kind of love to you and me. Today as Jesus speaks to us about love, we can easily see where we have fallen short of his expectations, where we have missed the mark he has set as our goal. We don’t deserve forgiveness, but we have it. Why? Because Jesus loved us enough to give himself up so that our sins would be washed away and heaven would be our gift. You and I reflect the love of our Savior when we show self-sacrificing love that this World Needs so much. Another aspect of that love is the desire to show mercy, to not judge and condemn, but instead instinctively extend forgiveness. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. How quick we can be point out the sins of others without a thought of forgiveness. Instead of assuming the best about the person that cut us off in traffic, we honk the horn, tailgate, cut them off. Someone says something bad about us and we retaliate with similar words about them. In our minds, we hold onto the way someone wronged us at some point and it affects the way we look at them, treat them, talk about them. We don’t let it go, which is what this word “forgive” means. Forgive means to “dismiss, set free, send away.” Jesus calls us to reflect the forgiveness he has extended to us as we live in world that needs to experience that kind of forgiveness from Christians. You know that we do not work our way into heaven. We are forgiven because of what Jesus did, not because of what we do. We go to heaven because of what Jesus did, not because of what we do. So be careful when you listen to Jesus and understand what he means when he says, Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High…Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. In fact, the measure with which you measure will be measured back to you.” When we give to the world a greater love than it normally sees—a reflection of God’s love—we give and we forgive without strings attached. These are attitudes and actions that flow from faith in Jesus as our Savior. When that faith is there, we are forgiven. When that faith is there, God gives to us in abundance because we are his children. And what a great picture of that Jesus gives! Imagine the many blessings of God to you put into a basket or a bucket, then shaken and tapped on the floor so that they settle. Then God puts more in to fill it up to the top! Then more so that it is overflowing all over you! This is the promise God makes to you and me as he encourages us to flood the world with a love that is as shocking and fascinating to it as a widespread snowstorm in southern Arizona is to us! May the Holy Spirit continue to build us up in faith and soften our hearts with the Father’s love shown in Jesus, so that we reflect this exceptional love in a world that desperately needs it. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.