WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:06.160 Here in Luke, he begins talking about love. 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:28.800 When you think about your own life and love, it's hard to come across a topic that has more pages written about it, more songs sung, more podcasts, episodes given, more TV time, more movies, and the theme of love. 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:30.719 It's in everything. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:35.119 It's in the forefront of every movie, or it's in the backdrop of every movie. 00:00:35.439 --> 00:00:37.119 Wars are fought over it. 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:38.799 Games are played for it. 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:43.119 Fortunes are spent all in the name of love. 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:50.719 Famous lines what the world needs now is love, sweet love. 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:53.439 It's true, isn't it? 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:57.280 The question is, what kind of love does the world need? 00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:59.039 It needs the love of Christ. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:01.200 And we need love. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:10.799 And Mother's Day is a particularly special day as we think about our mothers, and hopefully most of us, our mothers, our relationships with our mothers. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:12.719 They are still going or we've had them. 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:16.159 They were sweet times, not perfect times, but good times. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:22.719 Our mother typically is where you receive the most affectionate kind of love in the first years of your life. 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:24.480 An enduring love. 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:26.400 A sacrificial love. 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:32.959 A love that you can't even begin to comprehend until you are a mother or a parent. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:37.359 There's something sweet, precious about a mother's love. 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:39.280 It's sweet as a church. 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:44.799 Several of us get to gather here on the Lord's Day with our mothers, and that's a sweet privilege. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:52.000 As grateful as we are for the love that our mothers give us, we need more love than that. 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:54.480 We need the love of Christ in us. 00:01:56.400 --> 00:02:00.000 It's true that whatever we love shapes us. 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:04.000 The things that we give our affections to, they shape us. 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:09.919 Think about, again, your parents, their love shapes you. 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:14.080 The person that you're married to, their love shapes you. 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:18.879 People you have in your life, your close connections, their love shapes you. 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:22.319 For the good or for the bad, these things shape us. 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:24.159 They mold us. 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:28.800 So love is intertwined within us. 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:34.879 And here in Luke 6, Jesus is teaching his people about love. 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:39.120 And this is a hard passage here. 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:46.240 But he's teaching about love, then he clarifies his teaching, and then he anchors his teaching. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:47.919 So those are my points this morning. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:53.840 If you're taking notes, verse 27 through 31, he is going to teach us about love. 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:57.840 32 through 34, he clarifies his teaching. 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:03.360 And the rest of the passage this morning, he anchors his teaching in love. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:08.159 Let's look again at verse 27. 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:15.120 But I say to you who hear, love your enemies. 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:17.439 And do good. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.360 Sorry, love your enemies. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:23.599 Do good to those who hate you and bless those who curse you. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:26.560 Pray for those who abuse you. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:31.199 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:40.240 And from one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic or your shirt either. 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:46.240 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back. 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:52.400 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:55.919 You who hear. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:01.360 This is a very important first part that we do not miss this. 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:08.319 That Jesus is saying something to his disciples and to those who are around, you who hear. 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:11.199 You who have ears. 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:17.759 Some verses on this. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:19.439 Romans 10, 17. 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:24.160 So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:26.879 Deuteronomy 6, 4 and 5. 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:31.759 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:37.360 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:41.920 Galatians 3 2. 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:43.439 Let me ask you only this. 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:49.360 Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:52.800 Revelation 3 20. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:55.680 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:03.759 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:10.399 So the first thing, church, that we need to understand this morning is that we must hear God's word. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:13.199 We must be a people who hear. 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:16.079 I have a lot of little children. 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:17.680 A lot, four, it's not a lot. 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:19.120 Some people have a lot more than that. 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:21.120 Feels like a lot to me, though. 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:22.399 Four kids. 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:25.439 Three of them are talking, so that's a little easier. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.720 And getting them to hear me is quite a challenge. 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:35.120 You're saying their name, they're distracted, and so we we have this little phrase we use. 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:37.439 If you're not looking, you're not listening. 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:40.160 If you're not looking at me, you're not listening to me. 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:40.560 Right? 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:44.319 Then oftentimes they're still looking at me and they're still not listening. 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:46.319 But we must get them to hear. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:47.439 I want you to hear me. 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:48.720 My words matter. 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:51.920 They're really matter, so you need to hear my words. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:58.720 And how often we're decent at hearing the noise of the Bible. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:00.319 We hear the noise of the Bible. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:04.319 We hear the words, but we're not really listening. 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:07.920 We're looking, but we're not really listening. 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:17.839 We know the words, we hear them, they're familiar to us, they're sweet to us, they encourage us, but are we looking to listen? 00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:20.480 So we gather here week in, week out. 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:25.439 I stand up here, Jimmy stands up here, and we forget the words that we say. 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:29.839 We know obviously you forget the words, but are we listening to God's word? 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:37.680 Are we looking and saying, Lord, what is it in Luke chapter 6 this morning that you want us to hear? 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:42.879 Because there's distractions in your heart from the things of the world. 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:47.839 The pride of your heart is trying to lie to you and deceive you. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:51.600 You have all these things that are trying to keep you from hearing. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:54.879 We must be a people who hear. 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:59.680 We must be a people who are careful what we hear. 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:01.600 We hear God's word. 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:11.279 Not the words of the world, not our pride, not what even other well-meaning people who are not submitted to God's word might say to us. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.079 We hear God's word. 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:17.040 Love your enemies. 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:18.639 It's God's word. 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:23.360 Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.560 Someone slaps you on the cheek, turn them to the other cheek. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:31.519 They take your jacket, don't hold back your shirt saying, We can't have this. 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:33.839 If they beg from you, give. 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.199 They take your stuff, don't demand it back. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:42.240 You think about this, and we live in a pretty polite society. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:46.079 Not too many of us are going down the street and just getting smacked in the face. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:50.639 Or you're at work and someone's just like berating you and abusing you. 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:53.439 We live, which is nice. 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:54.560 We're polite. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:56.879 Like, I think it's a good thing, to be honest. 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:02.959 I think it's good that we're polite, but I think it's helpful that we know our hearts are here. 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:05.519 Your heart, my heart. 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.519 We have these things in us. 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:12.399 We want to be at odds with people. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:15.759 We don't want to be disrespected. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:20.959 Almost all these things listed in these first few verses are responses. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:24.720 If someone does this to you, this is how you respond. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:27.759 This is how you do it. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:31.680 And a lot of this has to do with shame, doesn't it? 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:33.519 Right? 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:38.159 Someone bless they they curse you, they say something bad about you, they abuse you. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:39.600 How do you respond to that? 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:44.240 They strike you like people don't smack people in the face when they want to assault them, right? 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:46.480 That's a shame move. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:48.159 They're shaming you. 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.080 They're taking your jacket, they're begging from you. 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:54.639 These are typically shame things. 00:08:57.120 --> 00:08:59.600 Our response is not to be normal. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:08.720 Our typical response is to defend my honor, my pride, my well-being. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:12.559 Do you respond this way? 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:20.240 When people do say things that are harsh and untrue about you, how do you respond? 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:30.320 When people seek to shame you or belittle you, we struggle enough with people just kind of making passing comments at us. 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:37.759 And we latch onto those comments and we stew over them for a week or two until we forget them and someone else says something about us. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:40.159 Let alone are we praying for them. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:42.159 Are we blessing them? 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.279 Now I want to bring a couple words of clarification. 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:47.519 This is a very well-known text. 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:52.000 And people will take this passage and do all kinds of things with it, right? 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:57.759 I want to make it clear that we don't misapply these instructions. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:13.519 Jesus is not advocating that if someone was beating you or beating your family, that you just kind of lay there and wait till someone who doesn't follow Jesus comes around and can rescue you. 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:21.200 I think verse 31 means that we have to be active and not passive. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:23.600 There's no room for passivity here. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:31.039 But Christians should step into abuse and harmful situations to protect victims. 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:37.200 We should put ourselves at risk to protect others who are in bad situations and harmful situations. 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:41.759 So we're not the ones to just cower and be passive. 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:44.799 But these teachings are radical. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:48.639 Because everyone else in the world, guess what you're doing? 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:49.919 You're shaming me. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:51.360 You're hurting me. 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:52.799 Your approach is on me. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:55.519 But as Christians, that's not our response. 00:10:55.759 --> 00:10:57.840 Because this life isn't about us. 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:03.519 So we're not looking to stand up for ourselves and make people respect us. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:10.080 Rather, we are looking to Christ for our vindication and our justification. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:15.840 How important it is that we hear God's word. 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:32.399 And once someone's smacking me in the face, then I'll turn the other cheek. 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:38.720 Once someone's abusing me, then I will be Christ-like and bless them. 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:47.519 But until then, until it has qualified for that event, until then, I'm just going to respond in a fleshly nature. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:49.360 They said something that I didn't like. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:53.440 Can you believe this person didn't, you know? 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:56.799 This is not someone who's loving their enemies. 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:16.320 I mean, if you're struggling, if we struggle, and we all do, with just someone making a comment to us, and we don't, we're not working to show grace, we're not working to show patience, if we can't do that among brothers and sisters, how are we showing love to our enemies? 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:25.120 Verse 31 says, and as you wish others would do, you do to them as well. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:31.519 I think our default, your default should be to treat others as you want to be treated. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:32.399 The golden rule. 00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:34.960 You want people to respect you, you respect them. 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:38.320 You want people to give you the benefit of the doubt. 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:41.600 Like how many times, every one of us, we misspeak. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:50.480 We say something and we say it the wrong way, we didn't mean that, or we meant something else, and someone hears something, they latch on to that and they just run with it. 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:52.799 And you sometimes you feel for this. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:56.399 Like, oh man, I did not, I don't think they received or heard what I meant to say. 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:57.759 That was my fault. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:02.799 But what a blessing when you can live in a place where people give you the benefit of the doubt. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:08.480 That although you said something maybe that was unkind or not the way that you wish they would have said it to you. 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:11.759 Or they they're doing something that you don't approve of. 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:15.919 It's not sinful, of course, but you're just like, ah, I wouldn't wish we didn't do it that way. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:18.080 Give people the benefit of the doubt. 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:25.919 I think this is where the golden rule that treating others as you want to be treated comes into play multiple times a day in our lives. 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:31.440 Think about your spouse or your roommate or your co-workers or your parents. 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:37.120 How often, how great it would be if you just gave them the benefit of the doubt. 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:42.320 What they meant to say or how they said it was maybe not the right way. 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:49.360 But they weren't trying to be spiteful, they weren't trying to be harsh, they weren't trying to be mean and sinful toward you. 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.240 They could have done a better job, sure. 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:56.000 But just giving one another the benefit of the doubt. 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:59.759 How often we go through life and we want to be heard by people. 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:06.399 You want people to hear you, you want your spouse, your coworkers, people under you, people over you. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:11.120 You want people to hear you, to take, to listen to your to your thoughts and your opinions. 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:13.519 Listen to other people. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:20.559 Be someone who is intent intends to listen to other people, is intentional in that, works toward that. 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:29.840 We might be people who are living with intentionality, treating others as we would like to be treated. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:46.159 Be careful that we don't draw this line in the sand somewhere in our mind saying, Well, I will love my enemies, but I'm not gonna love these church members that are hurting me. 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:56.480 I'm not gonna bless those who didn't see people who didn't we did not see eye to eye on something, and now I'm just gonna hold some bitterness against them. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:02.559 Sure, I'll love those who persecute me and abuse me and bless them and do good to them. 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:06.080 But I'm not gonna do that to those that are in my family. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:13.360 Sure, I'll be polite to them because we're in a polite society, but I'm gonna talk bad about them behind their back. 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.879 I'm gonna say things that are unkind to others. 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:26.000 Church, let us be a place that we're showing love to our enemies because we're showing love to one another. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:30.320 And Jesus begins to clarify this in verse 32. 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:40.720 If you love those who love you, if excuse me, if you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:44.480 For even sinners love those who love them. 00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:49.279 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:52.879 For even sinners do the same. 00:15:54.240 --> 00:16:00.879 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:06.080 Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:18.720 So Jesus in this passage is laying bare the notion of love and what it means to love as followers of Christ compared to the world. 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:24.480 He's telling us and clarifying us what this means. 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:27.279 Think about verse 32. 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:28.799 This benefit. 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:32.159 If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.440 For even sinners love those who love them. 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:41.200 If you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit? 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:43.759 What benefit is that to you? 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:45.679 Even sinners do this. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:50.720 If you lend to those who expect to receive, what credit is that to you? 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:54.879 Jesus is making this appeal to his disciples and his listeners. 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:57.120 Like, so you're doing what the world does. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:58.399 Big deal. 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.279 What credit, what benefit is it? 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:03.919 How sharp are these words? 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.119 What good is it if you show the love to those who love you? 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:10.640 What good is it if you're polite to people who are polite to you? 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:16.400 Sinners, people who have not been regenerated, who do not have the Holy Spirit there that way. 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:27.519 And so often we can just live and we think, well, I think we're doing pretty good because I'm not ripping anyone's head off, I'm not cussing anyone out, and I'm doing okay, and I'm not freaking out on people. 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:29.279 So what? 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:32.240 Wicked sinners do those things. 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:39.200 Jesus is calling us to have a love for people that is so different than the world's. 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:43.359 Because it requires a new heart. 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:44.480 A new heart. 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:51.440 Taking out the flesh of stone and putting in a heart of flesh. 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:58.319 Sinners do these things, and they worship stuff. 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:06.640 Sinners do these things, and they are slaves to sin, and they're just children of their father the devil. 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:08.480 They do these things. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:18.319 Jesus isn't being hypothetical or philosophical, he's being very literal. 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:21.359 He means this literally. 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:28.720 For his disciples and for the crowd that's listening, this teaching would have been really tough. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:30.240 It's tough for us now. 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:34.799 It was tough for them back in those days. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:48.240 The Pharisees, the religious leaders, were full of pride. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:55.920 Their arrogance was extreme, which is ironic because they lived under captivity. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.079 The Romans were ruling them. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:01.200 But yet they had this pride and this arrogance. 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:03.440 They had no right to be prideful. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:11.519 But they had created a system of legalism where they made the checkbox, the boxes to check, and they checked them. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.680 Let's build up their pride. 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:17.599 And so this developed a culture of shame. 00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:21.920 And don't let anyone speak ill of you. 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:24.720 Make sure that you're doing the right thing. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:29.599 So Jesus coming in and saying, listen, this is completely different. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:36.000 You think that your status in front of mankind, your image, your representation to others matters? 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:36.880 It doesn't. 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:40.559 It doesn't matter so much that I want you to love your enemies. 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:43.039 Do good to those who hurt you. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:48.400 And Jesus is saying to this to the people who were going to crucify him. 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:55.920 He was saying this to the crowd who was listening and struck by his words and then was going to crucify him. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:02.319 So Jesus is calling into question their allegiances. 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:04.799 You say you're following the law. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:06.880 You say that you're God's people. 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:09.119 But what does it matter? 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:11.519 You don't follow the law. 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:13.680 You don't practice love. 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:32.319 And Jesus is lovingly, graciously just pulling all that apart. 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:36.319 Saying, listen, love your enemies. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:39.599 Love those who persecute you. 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:48.319 Imagine if Jesus showed up here and he started kind of calling into questions things that we loved. 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:51.839 Saying, you love these things? 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:55.680 You love your free speech as a country, you love this. 00:20:56.240 --> 00:21:02.960 You don't even use that to boldly and faithfully praise my name openly to others. 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:08.000 You just use your free speech to speak ill of others. 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:17.279 You love the right, the right to have the Second Amendment and all these things, to bear arms and defend yourselves and defend your families and the people you love. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:20.559 You don't even defend yourself from the filth on your phone. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:28.000 You don't even protect those in your care from the things around them or the deceit or the legalism that creeps in our hearts. 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:32.240 So we go after these things and we can cling to these things. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:33.279 Why do we do this? 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:36.960 Because we are all love to worship. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:42.960 We're all creating without Christ, we're all creating idols in our heart. 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:51.839 This is why you and me need God's word to regularly call us to follow Him. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:56.880 That we're not taking our families, our children. 00:21:57.519 --> 00:21:59.680 We're not taking our income, our status. 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:14.000 We're not taking the things around us and elevating them to a level that keeps us from loving others, keeps us from following God's word. 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:18.799 And I'm not trying to just step on toes or be provocative. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.400 Just telling you that you are amazing. 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:25.200 And I'm amazing at an idol building. 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:26.720 It's just in us. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:29.680 And Jesus has come to remove that. 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:37.759 That call us to worship Him, to walk with Him, to know Him, to cherish Him. 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:45.359 Jesus lovingly reminds us what benefit, what benefit, what credit is it to you? 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:48.400 Clarifying this teaching. 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:51.759 It is appealing, in a sense, to our human nature. 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:53.759 We want to do things that benefit us. 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:57.759 Even as Christians, we want to do things that we're going to see fruit. 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:08.079 And this is one of the hardest things of following Christ is we're sowing seed, we're watering, we're kind of doing the work here on this side of glory, on this side of eternity. 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:09.440 And we want to see fruit. 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:10.799 We want to see benefit. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:12.000 We want to see results. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.359 And by God's grace, we do at times. 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:21.119 We get to look at each other's lives and remind each other what the Lord has done in our life. 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:28.559 Remind each other what the Lord has freed us from, how He's matured us, how He's provided for us, He's cared for us. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:30.799 So we see the benefit. 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:31.839 We see the credit. 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:34.319 But there's also this eternal credit. 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:38.240 This credit, this benefit laid up for us in heaven. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:39.599 We don't see. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:46.640 And so the worldly thinking is, man, what benefit is it if I just put up with someone abusing me? 00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:50.240 What benefit is it if I let people speak ill of me? 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:52.000 If I let people curse me? 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:52.799 What benefit? 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:58.319 What credit is it to me if I give someone something or lend someone something and they don't return it? 00:23:58.559 --> 00:23:59.519 Where's the credit? 00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:00.960 Where's the benefit? 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:04.880 That's a worldly shallow thinking. 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:09.039 And that's how our thinking is without Christ. 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:18.400 If he doesn't come in and regenerate and change our hearts, our benefit, our thinking, is of this world. 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:22.799 This is why Scripture tells us in Romans 12 to renew our minds. 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:27.519 Because you don't just hear this once and say, okay, I heard it. 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:29.359 Now I'm just gonna go do it forever. 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:30.319 I'm good. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:31.039 I heard it. 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:32.319 I'm on my way. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:34.400 No, we need reminded. 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:41.039 We need to be praying that the Lord would do this in our lives, that we would have this eternal perspective. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:44.480 We would trust the Lord. 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:45.920 Trust His Word. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:49.200 That we would encourage one another to do these things as well. 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:59.759 And that we would just have it clear in our mind as we go through this passage and through God's word, understanding that there are two paths in life. 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:02.799 There's two ways to go. 00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:10.000 There are those who follow God, they're broken, prone to wander, regularly forgetting. 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:13.680 At times it's hard to believe God's love for them. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:15.519 Followers of God. 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:22.240 Those who are broken, but we'll manage. 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:26.799 Or pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, pull things together, we'll get through. 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:31.839 Happy to embrace the nice things about Jesus, but not the hard things. 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:38.799 I want God and I want heaven, but I want it on my terms, followers of the world. 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:57.119 So as disorienting the teaching might have been for the disciples or for us, Jesus is calling us to a life of good things, of beautiful things. 00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:04.799 And he anchors all this, not just in a, hey, do all these things because you're different than the world. 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:12.880 Although that's true, he doesn't anchor it in, hey, do all these things, and guess what? 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:16.480 Like when you die, there'll be blessings for you in heaven. 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:18.640 Although that is true. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:21.119 No, look at verse 35. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:36.640 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. 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:41.680 Be merciful even as your father is merciful. 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:46.799 So love your enemies, do good, expect nothing in return. 00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:56.559 Jesus is summarizing his teaching in that he anchors it, that your reward is great, and you will be sons of the most high. 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:04.640 Can you think, church, of a greater reward than being sons and daughters of the most high? 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:12.240 God Almighty to be his son, to be his daughter. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:18.640 There's no greater benefit, there's no greater credit than to belong to God, to be his child. 00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:22.000 Do we believe this? 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:24.079 Look down at your Bibles. 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:27.519 Look at the second part of verse 35. 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:31.119 Your reward will be great. 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:37.279 You will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:42.559 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:44.319 Do you believe that? 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:50.480 Has God worked that into your heart where you understand this blessing that comes? 00:27:50.880 --> 00:28:00.720 Do you understand that you are a child of God, a child of the Son, a Son of the Most High God, creator of the universe, and you belong to Him. 00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:05.920 If you repented of your sins, but you're hoping Christ, you're walking with Christ, that's you. 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:07.519 You need to believe that. 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:14.160 You cannot not believe that and then love others the way Christ has called you to love them. 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:22.319 Do you believe that he is kind to the ungrateful and to the evil? 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:28.720 Jimmy and I were having this conversation this morning, kind of just about something else randomly. 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:33.599 And we got talking about this idea of how we're okay with God dying for some people. 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:35.920 Almost everyone, actually. 00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:41.359 That his sin could atone for everyone except for certain people. 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:50.880 There are just some people that have done things so wicked and so heinous and so evil that I'm not cool with Jesus, his blood atoning for them. 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:52.799 I don't want to see them in heaven. 00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:53.839 I want to see them. 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:57.519 I hope they go to hell, spend an eternity in hell for what they've done. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:03.119 Now we can get that wrong for many reasons. 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:07.359 There's something in us that maybe wants justice. 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:12.240 There's something in us that maybe it's a good thing that wants justice done. 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:16.480 But we're okay that justice be carried out for those people. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:18.559 Lord, for us. 00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:22.880 How about for our unbelieving children? 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:26.319 That are not walking the ways of the Lord. 00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:31.039 People around us that we know, we care about, we love dearly. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:33.279 Are they evil? 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:35.200 Are they ungrateful? 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:37.440 What about you? 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:43.920 Do you believe that without Christ until he came and worked in your life that this was you? 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:46.319 Ungrateful and evil? 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:50.640 And this is where we need to hear God's word. 00:29:51.279 --> 00:30:01.920 Not hear the ideas of the age, not hear our own pride and self trying to justify, like, well, yeah, sure, I was ungrateful and evil, but not as evil as that person. 00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:04.480 At least I didn't do what they did. 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:05.839 No. 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:09.839 Be merciful. 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:14.160 Even as your father is merciful. 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:19.440 Even as your father is merciful. 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:22.240 Do you know God's mercy? 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:26.160 Have you known God's mercy in your life? 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:27.440 Just a little hint. 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:31.440 The fact that you're not dead is yes, God has been merciful to you. 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:35.200 That you still have breath in your lungs, God has been merciful to you. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:42.160 And it's a mercy when God illuminates our minds and gives us understanding to say, wow, I was heading to hell. 00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:44.079 I was in rebellion to God. 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:46.000 I didn't want the things of God. 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:47.519 I didn't want to worship him. 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:50.960 I didn't want to follow him, but he was merciful to me. 00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:56.880 And now, even in my brokenness, he's slowly making me holy. 00:30:57.519 --> 00:31:05.839