Love Like Jesus - Luke 6:27-36

Romans 5 says Jesus Christ didn’t die for His friends. He died for His enemies, and that includes us in our sin.

In this message, Pastor Trent walks through the heart of the gospel message, why the cross is sacrificial love aimed at the undeserving, and how reconciliation with God comes through faith in Jesus alone. 

From there we open Luke 6:27-36 and take Jesus at His word: love your enemies, do good, bless, pray, refuse personal revenge, give freely, and live with the mercy of the Father. This isn’t abstract theology; it’s a way of life that collides with how we handle conflict, resentment, and the urge to clap back.

Transcript

A Question About Sacrifice

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Now that I've introduced our book, I want to introduce you to someone. I don't want to pose a question to you. So if you have your notes out and your Bibles open, let me ask you a question. Have you ever heard of a story of someone sacrificing their life for another person? Maybe you have. Maybe you've watched a movie where someone sacrifices themselves for their friends or for their comrades. I want to introduce you to someone you're going to see on the screen.

Michael Monsour And Courage

SPEAKER_00 0:33

His name is Michael Monsour. And I know that's a small picture, and far back, Michael Monsour, after the plane strikes, the World Trade Center towers, Michael felt the call to join the United States Navy. And he did in 2004. In fact, in 2004, he became a Navy SEAL. He was sent to the Middle East with his team. They had to regularly engage in combat with insurgents. He was in a sniper hideout with four other comrades, four other people of his team. A grenade was thrown. It hit Michael Monsieur in the chest. And without thinking, Michael jumped on the grenade, saving his whole team. He is the second seal to have died in what we now know as the war on terror. His story is one of bravery and courage. And stories like that, I tell them, having already practiced this sermon, and it still brings tears to my eye. You know, the Bible taughts about such bravery. In Romans chapter 5, we read, For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person, one would dare to even die. Michael did what was scarce and daring and exemplified sacrificial love. The Bible says that act is incredible, scarce and daring. We can't even imagine stories like this without tears and thankfulness.

Jesus Dies For His Enemies

SPEAKER_00 2:38

That said, all the more consider what Romans teaches following verse six. Look at what Romans tells us about Jesus' death. Romans chapter five, verse seven, for one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. I know we're in Luke, but if you would humor me, we're looking at Romans for a second. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, he goes on to say in verse 9 and 10, his enemies. Christ died for us. My friends, this is the good news of the gospel. Jesus didn't just love his friends, Jesus died for his enemies. This is something unheard of. The gospel message is a unique story where the hero lays down his life for the villain, for his enemy. You say, well, the villain doesn't deserve a good man to die for them. And I say to you, exactly. This is why the gospel message is so good. For while we were still weak, Paul says, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Jesus didn't die for good people. He did not die for people who deserve it as if there were some. He died for undeserving, ungodly people in love. Now the significance of Christ's sacrificial death is only properly understood when we recognize this is true, that we were in fact God's enemies, and yet Jesus still died for us. Christ died for sinners who did not deserve it. And because of that, those who place their faith and trust in him and in him alone will not die the death they deserve, but be given life they do not, eternal life with God the Father forever. That's why Romans 5 continues to say, We'll rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through him we have received reconciliation. So again, through Jesus' shocking sacrifice, he ransomed the people for God, all who would trust him in faith, and transformed our hearts to follow his example as well.

Luke 6 And Enemy Love

SPEAKER_00 5:30

And that's where we pick up in Luke chapter 6, beginning in verse 27. Would you look at it with me? But I say to you, 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. 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. He continues in verse 32. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them? Again, this is a daring and scarce act. 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 of whom you expect to receive back, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. But he says to Christians, and Christians, I say to you, love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. And your reward will be great, and you will be a son of the most high. For he is kind to the ungrateful and to the evil. Be merciful, even as your father is merciful. Church, what is the command in this passage? It is love your enemies. The passage actually, when Jesus is is when Luke is writing this, he's writing what Jesus preached. And Jesus gave multiple examples of what he meant by love your enemies. Just look at the text. Do good to those who hate you. You see that? Continue. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you, one who strikes you on the cheek, don't personally retaliate. That doesn't eliminate justice and government. That's a different subject. He's talking about personal retaliation. Don't withhold your tunic if someone takes your cloak. I want you to look at that list carefully with me. Both the command to love your enemies and the examples. And I want you to see this calling for Christians has first been exemplified in the love of God in the cross of Christ. It's been perfectly exemplified in the love of Christ. So consider with me just for a moment at ground level how Jesus first lived this sort of life. He's calling Christians, little Christs, too. Let me give you three examples.

Christ’s Example On The Cross

SPEAKER_00 8:43

The first, consider the crowds. The crowds. When Jesus comes into Jerusalem, a lot of things happen. Some Galileans welcome him. They shout Hosanna the highest. But when he gets to Jerusalem, there are already Pharisee and Sadducee conspirators ready to kill him. And they incite mobs and become angry at him. And Judas, of course, sells him for silver. And then he's beaten and mocked. And then he's brought before a great crowd in Jerusalem. And there is a question Do you want Barabbas or do you want Jesus? And of course the crowds shout, Crucify Jesus, give us Barabbas. Now, not much longer after that, Jesus would be walking up a hill to Calvary where he would hang, not for his sin, but for the sin of his scoffers. Those who slandered him as he took each step. Now hear me closely. The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the exact imprint of the nature of God. In fact, Hebrews tells us that the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Jesus. Jesus knew the heart of every man, we see it in his ministry, and he knew a future of every man. He knew if they would hear the gospel message, that they would turn and trust him in faith. And so Jesus walking up the hill to Calvary is looking to his right and to his left, you might imagine. At people spitting on him, slandering him as he struggles to take each step, knowing that not much long later he would ascend to the right hand of the Father, having resurrected, and that Peter would preach the first spirit-empowered sermon. The church would be born, and three thousand people initially, probably who were at that hill, would turn in faith to him. Jesus knew he was dying for his slanderers, his mockers, and he still walked. He took it. Let me give you a second example. Not only do we have the crowds mocking Jesus, but we also have the centurion, that Roman soldier. If you know the story in Matthew 27, Jesus is hung upon a criminal's cross. Centurions and Roman soldiers nailed him to a criminal's cross. As he hangs, bloody, beaten, bruised, as soldiers mock him, and as soldiers divide his garments, fulfilling a prophecy from Psalm 22. There is a Roman centurion, no small soldier, who says, Surely, this must be the Son of God. I submit to you, as Acts 16 tells us the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. And so God is convicting the very centurion who probably was involved in Jesus' torturous death. And Jesus knew it because he was dying for him. The very nails that Jesus took upon his hands for that centurion were the nails he took for that centurion's life. And Jesus knew it. And Jesus loved his enemies. Let me tell you another example. He's walked the hill, he hangs from a tree. To his side is a criminal, a thief. A thief who most certainly cannot hide his sin. He is wounded and wearied, but he is at the moment, one defining moment, because of the Spirit of God, convicted of his sin, and its act against the one he hangs beside. Jesus hanging there knew he was dying for him. It was his spirit that convicted him to turn and trust. So what could the criminal hide that he was not hanging for? But at the same time, Jesus was hanging there for the criminal, bearing the weight of the criminal's sin as well as all those before him. And Jesus knew he was dying for him. And he stayed. And he welcomed him. Jesus loves his enemies. I'd say that, reflecting upon our passage, this sermon Jesus preached. To say that when Jesus calls us to give our lives to love the unlovable, he's not calling us to something he has not already done himself. We are to live as the one who died before us. And you should know that, and you should believe because he loved you. And because he loved me. Jesus didn't just die for friends, but for enemies, and were called to go and do likewise. We love our enemies because Jesus loved his when we were his. Again, what did Jesus say? Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you, be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

When Love Makes God Visible

SPEAKER_00 15:29

One of my favorite texts of scripture comes from 1 John. And 1 John elaborates on this call for Christians to love. 1 John chapter 4, starting in verse 7, says, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God. Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. And of course, the love of God was demonstrated in the cross of Christ. So here's the strong push in 1 John to Christians, scattered all abroad because of persecution. It does not matter who you think you are. It does not even matter if you grasp at an intellectual level the gospel I have preached this morning. If you do not love even hatred for friends, it does not matter who you think you are. You may not know God. That's what John says. Not what Pastor Trent says. Because the love that God has shown you, listen closely, has given you no route to say, but they don't deserve it. Because neither did you. And neither did I. Christ died for his enemies. You can try to stack up all the reasons you shouldn't love someone else, but I can give you one that dispels them all. And his name is Jesus. You don't get to receive enemy love and refuse to give it. This is what Jesus is saying. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, and bless. If you refuse to love others, it may not be a love problem. It may be that you've never been overwhelmed by the love of God in Christ. Have you been overwhelmed by the love of God in Christ? Have you heard the gospel message and placed your faith and trust in Jesus and in Jesus alone? Well, if so, John, yes, the John we just read from continues to say something in 1 John 4. Not only are you called to live a cross-shape Christ in our life, but you're called to do it for a purpose. Why is this so important to love your enemies? Pray for us who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Well, John tells us in 1 John 4, as he continues, beloved, if God so loved us as he did on the cross, we ought to love one another. And then he says this really unique phrase. I love to talk about this passage. 1 John chapter 4, he says, Right after saying love one another, no one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. Why would John say, right after the command, just like Jesus' command, to love one another? No one's ever seen God. But if we love one another, God's love abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. Is that a place? Well, we would not say anything in the Bible's out of place. So what is he doing? Well, he's saying no one has ever seen God in his full, unbridled essence, this side of heaven. When you look at the Old Testament, there were visions called Theophanies. There were times where angelic beings would shield God the Father on his throne so that the people would not die or be overwhelmed by glory. These mortal bodies are not fit for that heavenly place. I submit to you, here's what John is doing. You ready? No one has ever seen God. But they do see you. Do they see the God who is love when they look at you? Do they see the love of Christ? They see how you treat one another and talk to one another in person and on social media. People see how you serve and sacrifice for others, for your friends, and even for your enemies. They look at your compassion and care, and by God's grace and our faithfulness, I hope they see the God who is love, Christ, who loved you. Let me submit to you that God is glorified and prayerfully seen when people know we are his disciples by our love for one another. God is glorified and prayerfully seen when we take the light of the gospel of Christ to a world of darkness. God is glorified and prayerfully seen when we imitate Christ. When people see our good deeds and give him glory, when we love our enemies as Christ has loved his before us, when we live holy lives in obedience to his commands and only share the good news, God's love is perfected in us and made cle complete in us, and people see Jesus. John Stott, the old commentator, said the unseen God, who was once revealed in his Son, is now revealed in his people when they love one another. Friends, you are not just called to love your friends, but love your enemies, and in so doing give witness to the gospel that saved you, the love of God in Christ. We love our enemies because Jesus loved us when we were his. Our lives point to Jesus when our lives look like Jesus. So can we commit to pointing others to him? I pray so. Church. Love like Jesus. You may look like Jesus as you share Jesus to a world that needs Jesus.

Response Invitation And Prayer

SPEAKER_00 21:53

This morning, I'm gonna pray for us, but I do want to ask something. If you heard the gospel message this morning, And you have questions. Maybe you say, I want to love like Jesus, but I don't know that I really know God's love in Christ. I don't know that I've actually turned from my sin, turned to Christ, and run to him in faith. We're about to sing one of my favorite songs that tells the gospel. It's a song that Jesse and I sung standing next to each other almost 11 years ago when we were married. It's called How Deep the Father's Love for Us. I ask you, I plead with you to not only sing the words, but see the words. And in so doing, I pray that God's Spirit would open your eyes, though they may be blind, to the truthfulness of the gospel, not just at a level of the mind, but at your heart, and that you would trust in Jesus. I'm going to pray for us. Myself and Pastor Chris are going to stand here in the front. If you want to talk to someone, if you want to ask questions, if you want to receive Christ, or if you just want to pray, we'll be there as we sing. Would you pray with me? God, we love you because you first loved us. Help us to love you as you have loved us. I thank you for this gathering this morning. I thank you that we are united in this room. Because as Ephesians chapter 2 says, you have united us through your blood, breaking down any dividing wall of hostility that we may have as your church on earth. We are your people, called by your name. So, Lord, we praise you, unified this morning. I pray, Lord, that you would do a profound work as I have preached the gospel, a work I cannot do, a work to save, a work to sanctify. We trust you in that. Lord, I pray for my kids and for the young kids in this room who have not yet placed their faith and trust in you. I pray that today may even be the day of salvation that they ask mom or dad or Pastor Chris or Pastor Trent, what does it look like to be saved? We ask this all in your name and for your glory. Amen.