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Loving Others

Sunday 17 July 2016 Pastor Craig Ledbetter 1 John 4:7-8
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Loving Others - How to Handle Your ‘Others’ - Galatians 5:14

I. Introduction (Galatians 5:14,15)

A. Most of us don’t live totally alone!

  1. We have ‘others’ in our lives
  2. People other than ourselves
  3. Other than our families
  4. Other than our friends
  5. Other than our co-workers
  6. We all have other people that we just don’t treat right - we treat them like enemies! And if we are not careful, we will end up biting, and devouring each other (Gal 5:15)

B. It’s easy to love those that love you

C. It’s easy enough to love the brethren - believers

D. It is possible to love your neighbour

  1. People who live near you and who you come into contact with
  2. People used to get along quite well until the TV and internet took over

E. It is easy enough loving the stranger - at least to be kind to them

  1. Someone sitting on the ground, begging…
  2. Someone you pass by and just are kind to…
  3. Because you probably will never see them again - no real biggie - not hard to do

F. But it is hardest to love your enemy

  1. And Jesus means ENEMY when He says it
  2. An enemy is someone who hates you and wants to hurt you bad!
  3. THOSE are the ‘others’ that we do not like dealing with
  4. Yet, Jesus spends quite a lot of time teaching His followers HOW to handle the hardest to handle people - our enemies!

II. Message

A. The Effect of Jesus on People (Luke 6:19)

  1. Virtue from Jesus - strength, power
  2. Healing - radically repaired people’s lives - restored them
  3. No wonder He drew the crowds!

B. The Benefits of Following Jesus - of being His Disciple (Luke 6:20-23)

  1. Are you in Poverty? (6:20) a. You will own the kingdom of God one day - in heaven! b. Never have another need a day in your life! c. Now, not THIS life, but in the world to come d. Don’t believe the false gospel of prosperity, and entitlement down here! e. Most politicians make their living off of the backs of poor people and do very little to nothing for them
  2. Hungry? (6:21) a. You will be filled one day! b. In heaven, you will NEVER be hungry again!
  3. Weeping? (6:21) a. But, ONE day, out in the future, You will laugh and laugh and rejoice, and sing! b. The disciples got a TASTE of this truth the day Jesus died, and then the day Jesus rose again!

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” - John 16:20

  1. Hated? (6:22,23) a. Do people separate from you - run from you like you were the plague? b. Reproach means to blame you and treat with great disrespect - embarrass you! Make fun of you c. Well, There are great rewards for you! d. Not now, but later! e. These are the promises of the Messiah to His followers. Not that He would make their life better and more prosperous HERE (that is what politicians promise), but that He would make their life all worthwhile! f. Just make sure all these things are because of following Jesus and not because you are lazy, or obnoxious towards people (1Peter 4:14-16)!

C. Warnings About Delusions (Luke 6:24-26)

  1. A delusion is living in your own world and imagination, and not reality
  2. Are you rich? (6:24) a. Is THAT your life? Your reality? b. Do you really believe that you don’t need God? c. Beware! You already have your comfort d. And that is all you will ever get! e. THIS is all the heaven you will ever have!
  3. Full? (6:25) a. Full fridges, full cupboards, full bellies? b. Beware! You shall hunger!
  4. Laughing and mocking Christ? (6:25) a. This world, our modern culture sees no value in the Christian life b. They only Laugh at it c. Laugh at the world d. Laugh laugh laugh - comedies, jokes, entertainments e. You will end up the one mourning and weeping! (Prov 1:24-31)
  5. Seeking men’s approval and praise? (6:26) a. That is all you will ever get! None from God! b. This is what drives most people’s lives today… concern about what people think about them! c. It stopped Pilate from being able to release Jesus - feared a riot d. Most religious people, do religious things TO BE SEEN OF MEN (Mt 6:1,5,16) e. The popular vote will always go to the false gospels, false doctrines, false gods, false theologies - the Jewish people always did rather follow the false prophets, who prophesied smooth things (Isaiah 30:9,10)! f. Living this way stops MOST people from EVER living the Christ-like life (John 12:42,43) g. So most sit quietly, in churches, never taking a stand h. Never taking up their cross i. Always worried about upsetting someone in the family, or the boss, or a the schoolmates j. And so Christianity is crippled, while the world rolls on! k. And stops most people from even getting born again! l. That’s why most WHITE IRISH CATHOLICS won’t come to a Bible believing Baptist Church… because they KNOW everyone will talk about them, and ostracise them! m. So, it’s just a few Irish n. With far more foreigners, who have no one really to worry about what they think!

D. But What To Do Until Heaven?

  1. We have been so blessed by the work of Christ in us - forgiven, healed on the inside, freed from the bondages of our sin and past!
  2. And we will be thoroughly blessed in the future - heaven! Whew! All to look forward to!
  3. But what to do until then?
  4. There is a gap from the time someone is born again, until they enter the gates of heaven!
  5. What are we supposed to do until then?

E. Instructions to the Disciple (Luke 6:20, 27-35)

  1. ‘Disciples’ are people who are listening to and following Jesus (6:20)
  2. Today, everyone has their voice, their guru, their leader a. Elon Musk b. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton c. Oprah Winfry d. Joe Duffy e. Who are YOU following?
  3. Do you have any enemies? (6:22,27) a. If you are real disciple you will! b. If people hated Jesus… c. And BOY did they hate Him d. Cried out CRUCIFY Him e. Spit at Him f. Mocked Him g. Blamed Him h. Abandoned Him i. How do you expect to escape the same attitude and possible treatment of YOU? (Matthew 24:9; Luke 21:17; John 15:18; 1John 3:13) j. Call you every filthy word k. Try to run you out of your home and neighbourhood l. Try to shut down your business - like they are trying to close down Asher’s Bakery, Sweet Cakes m. Try to get you fired n. Make up stuff about you o. Every Christian, the moment they got saved, made some enemies p. You SWITCHED sides! q. You CHANGED RELIGIONS! r. You became a religious NUT s. That’s okay! My focus is on Jesus now! Not on what people think about me!
  4. Jesus’ One Basic Life Principle (6:31) a. Treat people like you want them to treat you b. DON’T treat them HOW they treat you, but like YOU WANT to be treated! c. WOW! d. People call it “The Golden Rule” - the golden or best way to live! e. People can talk as long as the day is long, about how badly they have been treated f. But Jesus didn’t give that a thought, and instead, overruled it and said, Treat others like you want to be treated! g. UGH! h. Do you find that easy? I don’t!

F. Eight Specific Commands (Luke 6:27-30, 35)

Jesus gives 8 specific ways to treat others in case we didn’t understand what He was saying in 6:31…

  1. LOVE our enemies - Jesus starts off with these words! The highest words! (6:27) a. NOT hate them! But, love them! b. Not just tolerate them either! But, LOVE them c. Like Christ loved YOU d. Like you want them to love you e. Is that really possible? f. Not talking about tolerating their sin, or loving their sin g. But loving THEM! h. If Christ commands, Christ enables!
  2. DO GOOD to them (6:27) a. Don’t treat them ‘in kind’ b. Treat them like Christ does c. If they are in need in any way, take care of that need (Rom 12:20)
  3. BLESS / Benefit them (6:28) a. Do something for them without them asking or even needing it b. Random act of kindness c. Leave them better off d. I don’t do this very well - I have a sense of balance and need for justice e. But Jesus, the very Son of God teaches us / commands us to bless our enemies! f. Are you still hearing (Luke 6:27)? g. Are you SURE you want to still be His disciple?
  4. PRAY for them (6:28) a. Okay. This sounds easy enough! b. But will I actually do it? I mean, actually take the time to pray for them like I do for my family, and friends, and church people?! c. What will my prayers be like? d. NOT! “Lord kill them!” “Get them back!” Or, “Remember, vengeance belongs to YOU so take care of them God!” e. But, “Lord, be good to them. Take care of them. Have mercy on them, and spare them from all the consequences of all their sin!” f. Praying FOR the benefit of our enemies keeps OUR hearts right! g. Without praying, we quickly sink into despair and even bitterness! h. But when we have our own hearts right, and soft, it makes it so God CAN deal with THEM instead of with US - who otherwise would be in rebellion and disobedience!
  5. LET THEM HURT YOU (6:29; James 5:6) a. Huh? No way! b. Let them strike you c. And then strike you again d. That usually is enough to get them to stop e. Now, if they KEEP striking, defend yourself! f. But the principle is, don’t fight - especially over personal attacks g. Jesus didn’t h. He did fight and stand His ground when OTHERS were being abused i. And He did bring out the whip when God was being USED to make money off of! j. But other than that, He let people hurt Him! He let people blaspheme Him. k. THAT is the hardest kind of obedience, l. It is trusting the sovereignty of God!
  6. LET THEM TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU (6:29) a. This goes completely against our nature, and against modern society! b. Let your enemy take not only your cloak - overcoat… c. But your coat too d. Possibly leaving you cold, and without enough clothes e. If someone commands you to carry their things a mile - go two (Mt 5:41)! f. Generally, don’t sue. Don’t fight, and don’t resist evil against you! g. YES! We stand up for others, and for the defenceless h. But not for ourselves and OUR rights
  7. GIVE TO THEM (6:30) a. Wow! It just get harder b. Give stuff away c. Now, work for a living, but don’t fight over THINGS! d. Let your enemies have what they want e. They can’t take the best things!
  8. Even LEND, never expecting anything back (6:35) a. We / I are far too critical of others already - see only reasons to distrust and fight and distance ourselves! b. We DON’T trust God much - not enough to just lend something and never expect it back! c. Do you realise that we don’t give and lend and love and pray for a person because that someone is worthy of it all… but simply because Christ asked us to!

G. THOSE are ways to love ‘your others’

  1. Easy to do this to those who already love you
  2. Easy enough to do it to passing strangers
  3. But Jesus teaches us from the extreme - He commands us to love even our enemies!
  4. They are not guarantees to CHANGE your enemies
  5. These are THE best ways to change them, and they do change enemies, but not guaranteed!
  6. Your enemies probably will still hate you after you are kind to them
  7. Like they did Jesus no matter how well He loved them
  8. Remember Jesus loved the rich ruler who still walked away (Mark 10:18-21)
  9. But they ARE guarantees to change US

H. Why do we endeavour to love even our enemies?

We love even our enemies, and basically all people…

  1. Because WE have been loved by God, and been taught to love, not hate
  2. Because God is our Father and commands us to love
  3. Because Satan otherwise has an advantage. Like in wrestling - Satan will have the upper hand!

III. Concluding Thoughts

A. Well, here is your daily checklist, disciples!

  1. Love your enemies
  2. Do good to them
  3. Bless / Benefit them
  4. Pray for them
  5. Let them hurt you
  6. Let them take advantage of you
  7. Give to them
  8. Lend, never expecting anything back
  9. Towards every enemy, every day! Not once and then you are through - a way of life!

B. But HOW will we do it?

  1. How will we ever get to the place where our ENEMIES can ask for something we have, and we just give it to them?
  2. How will we ever let our enemies ever take advantage of us?
  3. How can we ever get to the place where we LET people HURT us?
  4. What will cause any of us to start to PRAY for our enemies?
  5. How will we ever change to where we start to Bless / Benefit the lives of our enemies?
  6. How will we ever get into the habit of doing good to others - especially others who hate us?
  7. How do we expect to ever learn to Love our enemies?

C. Answers:

  1. Become a real Disciple
  2. Work on your focus - what do you focus your eyes and attention constantly on? a. Disney? b. Your friends and peers at school and work? c. Why not fast from all that for a week or 2 or 3 and get alone with just your Bible and listen to Jesus? d. He will take your breath away!
  3. Treat people like you want them to treat you
  4. Be a giver already - stingy people never give to ANYBODY, least of all to their enemies!
  5. Mortify your pride - your self-right-ness
  6. Serve the Lord Christ, not yourself, or others even anymore!

D. Does this really work?

  1. It did throughout history
  2. The greatest Christians were not warriors, generals, executioners, wealthy men or women, vigilantes
  3. They were the prayer warriors, praying constantly behind the scenes
  4. They were the compassionate, the self-sacrificing
  5. And they were the happiest to their death
  6. Atheists have caused more wars and killed more people in history
  7. But religions have fought and still fight today and torture and kill their enemies
  8. What THIS generation has not seen, is THIS kind of love in action
  9. A love that is NOT religious, or even rational, but so real, and so transforming, that enemies give up trying to quench it, and instead switch sides themselves!

E. What effect has Jesus Christ had on YOU and on your family?

  1. Haven’t you seen any benefits to following Jesus’ way?
  2. It’s there for you Christian
  3. And it’s there for you, dear enemy of God! (Romans 5:10)
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