Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Anger
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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*Intro* – Mom was teaching 4-year-old Carly her address.
The girl could get the street, but not the house number.
Mom said, “If our house is on fire and you call 911, how will the firefighters know where to go?” Carly replied, “I’ll tell them to go to Maple and look for the house that’s on fire.”
Pretty good answer, right?
Look for the house that’s different!
Well, our text is about how Jesus wants His followers to look different, too!
Paul says in Titus 2:14 Jesus, “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
We belong to God, not the world.
As God’s children we must look different.
That doesn’t mean strange hats, long dresses and sad faces.
It means we react in unnatural ways.
Our default behaviors have changed.
Jesus’ sermon in Luke 6:27-36 is aimed at how we deal with difficult people –our enemies.
Natural reaction – hate them.
Get even.
Jesus says, “Anyone can do that.
You’re mine, so be different.”
How? Four ways in 27-28.
*I.
The Precepts*
*A.
Love Your Enemies* – That was a blockbuster because from childhood these people had been taught, “Love your neighbor, but hate your enemy.”
But Jesus says, “Not so! God’s children love their enemy as well as their neighbor.”
V. 32 shows us, “Everyone loves friends.
That’s normal, not Xn.
God’s family loves enemies – like He does.”
Natural reaction (hate them) must become grace reaction (love them).
Tough assignment.
*B.
Do Good to Those Who Hate You*
But there’s more!
Last half v. 27, “do good to those who hate you.”
This puts faith into action.
Jesus looks for positive “good.”
This doesn’t mean you have to be their best friend – or pal around with them.
But it means to wish them well, and do them positive good.
The default must change from ‘I’ll get them’ to ‘How can I benefit them – grace them.’
For most, this is uncharted territory.
“Do good to those who hate me?
Isn’t it enough if I just somehow manage not to hate them back?
Cut me some slack here!”
Most don’t have this gear.
We have reverse to crush enemies, and maybe neutral to ignore them.
But forward to do them good?
Jesus can’t mean that!
But, of course, Jesus means exactly that.
He knows if we don’t break the retaliation cycle, we become part of the cycle.
Jesus is saying, “I want my followers to break the mold.”
V. 33, “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit (grace) is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.”
Grace starts when we do good to those who hate us.
But wait!
Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘An eye for an eye’?
I know it’s in there somewhere!
You’re right.
Exod 21:23-25, “But if there is harm (from a fight), then you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
It’s there, but even this was to separate God’s people from the pack.
Typical reaction to hurtful actions was tenfold payback —“You slap me, I’ll break your neck”—“You take my shirt, I’ll chop off your hand.”
God’s law limited the response to an equitable penalty—“life for life, eye for eye.”
But the main point is these penalties were reserved to government – to the people as a whole – not to individuals.
There is no biblical warrant for an individual taking someone’s eye or life.
And – get this – love was required even in OT! Individuals were to stop the cycle – to get out of retaliation mode and into helping mode even in the OT.
Prov 25:21 says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”
For God’s sake – break the cycle!
Let God take up your cause!
He specifically reserves to Himself the right of revenge in Deut 32:35, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense.
’” We get into revenge mode, and we’re invading God’s territory.
We don’t want to be there.
It turns God against us as well as our enemy.
Paul says in Rom 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Revenge is His concern!
This is not default mode.
When you get punched in the nose, your first response is not going to be, “I wonder what his favorite color is so I can get him a new shirt to replace his bloody one.”
That’s not natural.
To do good, we must leave the vengeance to God, and reset our defaults to grace.
Instead of how can I get even, how can I show God’s grace to this person?
It’s tough.
Few people exemplified grace like Abe Lincoln.
One example.
He appointed an enemy, Simon Cameron, Secretary of War.
Cameron was crooked and incompetent, and Lincoln’s reputation was severely damaged when it came out Cameron was buying dead horses and rotten food.
Congress issued an 1100 page report accusing Cameron of “conduct highly injurious to the public service.”
Cameron thought sure Lincoln would fire him.
Instead, Lincoln wrote a long public letter to Congress declaring that he and his entire cabinet “were at least equally responsible for whatever error, wrong or fault was committed.”
Rather than fire Cameron, he made him ambassador to Russia where he could do no further harm.
Then he assigned Edwin Stanton, a bitter political foe who first called Lincoln “the original ape”, to head the War Department where he thrived.
Both men became highly devoted to Lincoln.
Historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, comments, “Lincoln was not like most other men, as each cabinet member, including the new secretary, would soon come to understand.”
Lincoln broke retaliation cycles, graced undeserving people, and it paid rich dividends.
He exemplified “Do good to those who hate you.”
He gave grace a chance.
*C.
Bless Those Who Curse You (v.
28)*
Jesus did this on the cross.
The scene is excruciating to those who love Jesus, to see Him being reviled by the very ones for whom He was dying.
His response?
Luke 23:34, “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
He blessed those who cursed Him.
Stephen did the same when he was stoned to death—the church’s first martyr.
Acts 7:60, “And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
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