Humanity
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Please turn to Luke 6:20
I’ve said this before, perspective is everything. (Hold up picture) What you see … what I see are two different perspectives. Isn’t that usually the case with God?
As we continue our Believe series, the Key Idea this week is:
“I believe all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Savior.”
I believe all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Savior. We say it. We hear it. Do we believe it? We know that’s the perspective that we’re supposed to have ….
I believe all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Savior. Can I say that and mean it without exception? Do I truly believe God loves the unlovables, the …? Do we really believe God hates the sin but loves the sinner? Do I?
Perspective is everything. For what God sees and what I see are often different perspectives. He sees something in people that caused Him to say, “I will save them.”
For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.
“For in this way” - God didn’t just say it, or think it, didn’t just write about it - He took action, He actually did something. And that is the precedence for genuine Godly love.
God’s love for people is always backed up by action.
- and so should ours. It’s not a theory, it’s not just theology, it’s not something we say just to feel good. God’s love for humanity is a reality and always backed up by action. And if there is no other action we can find, we have the cross of Jesus Christ - and truthfully, that should be enough for there is no greater act of love. But God did more than just the cross, and
His love for humanity is backed up by action primarily through whom? The Church (i.e. you and me).
God is still showing His love for people and their need for Jesus Christ through the Church. Are we letting Him?
God’s actions are driven by love and faithfulness and a desire for all people to be saved. His love is unique - has very little to do with us, and everything to do with Him. And if His love is unique, what kind of love should I have? A unique love that has little to do with others, but has everything to do with who I am as a follower of Christ.
If there is nothing unique about the love I have for others, then I might have the wrong perspective.
In Luke 6, Jesus spent the night praying. In the morning, He called His disciples to Him. And there was also a crowd wanting to be healed. In the midst of all the busyness and the people and the coming and going, verse 20 …
Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
We could talk a lot about persecution and being hated because of Christ, but we’re going to move on. But I’ll say this, I believe one thing is Jesus telling us is that it could get really ugly for people who follow Christ. Jesus, in a way is saying, “You want to follow me - that’s great. But know this, following me will not win you a popularity contest. You’re not going to be the cool kid. You’re not going to be in the ‘in crowd.’ Probably won’t get any promotions. Most likely, you’ll be hated and made fun of and ridiculed because of me. Some of you will probably even die.” How’s that for a motivational speech. “Look, it’s going to get ugly, and when it does, perspective is everything. There’s a certain way the world responds, but this is how I want you to respond.”
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
This is where a lot of people start questioning - what about this, what about that …? From one of my commentaries.
“If Christians took this one absolutely literally there would soon be a class of saintly paupers, owning nothing, and another of prosperous idlers and thieves. It is not this that Jesus is seeking, but a readiness among his followers to give and give and give. The Christian should never refrain from giving out of a love for his possessions. Love must be ready to be deprived of everything if need be. Of course, in a given case it may not be the way of love to give. But it is love that must decide whether we give or withhold, not a regard for our possessions.”
The fact that we’re overly concerned about possessions reveals something doesn’t it? The bigger issue is this - do I truly believe all people are loved by God? Does He really love my enemies, those who hate me, spread rumors about me - does God really love those who have a grocery cart full of food in the express line (15 items or less) …. Do I truly believe those who abuse and use me, slap me, steal from me, vote differently, think differently …. Are all people really loved by God? Did Jesus really die for everyone?
It’s all about perspective! The perspective from God’s point of view is yes! And because God loves all people and because all people need Jesus Christ as their Savior, Jesus said …
1) Love your enemies.
Before we talk about loving our enemies, let’s identify our enemies. Our real foe is Satan, demons and other spiritual forces of darkness (Eph. 6). We are to battle against them, not love them. However, and I don’t want to split hairs, but I believe Jesus is talking predominantly about people who oppose us because of Him - people who hate us because we’re Christian. Not limiting it to that, but I think it helps answer some questions we often have. Keep it in that context for today.
Let’s get technical for a while. Don’t do this too often, but on occasion we need to.
The word love in verse 27 is ἀγαπᾶτε, agapate
(not to be confused with …).
Agapate is a variation of agapaō, which we would often say is that unconditional love, which is kind of our spin on the word. It is
Unconditional, meaning that love is given regardless of the person’s state or the ability to reciprocate love.
But there’s a little bit more to agapaō than we often discuss.
Agapaō means to have strong affection or concern for, to cherish, or to take great interest in.
Jesus is saying, “I have a lot of affection for people; I care about them - cherish them; I’m genuinely interested in people - all people - even the bad guys. So, love them how I would love them.”
For God was so interested in people, He had so much affection for all people that He gave His one and only Son ….
To have Christ-like love means to have a strong affection for, to be concerned about, to cherish and be greatly interested in.
Q - At this point, What are some questions we could ask ourselves? Am I …?
Let’s get a little deeper. We talked about what Jesus said, so now let’s look at how He said it - this will play a part in the rest of the sermon. In verse 27,
A) Love is a verb.
It’s not something we say or feel, it’s something we do.
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
In Verse 27,
B) Love is in the present tense
- it’s always applicable to the Christian regardless of time or place. In verse 27,
C) Love is in the active voice
, which means we are the doers. Christians carry out God’s love to the world. Remember last week, we said, The Church is Christ’s tangible representation on earth - hands, feet, voice and heart. Lastly, In verse 27,
D) Love is in the imperative mood
- it’s a command. Love, for the Christian is not optional - even for our enemies. One of my commentaries said it this way -
“We cannot be selective in love.”
Now, get this, in this passage love, do good, bless and pray are all verbs (action), they’re all in the present tense (always applicable), they’re in the active voice (we are the doers) and they’re all in the imperative mood - they’re all commands.
In verse
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
To do good means to do that which is right, to do what is well ….
In verse
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
- Jesus says, “… bless those who curse you ….” To bless. The Greek is eulogeō (εὐλογέω) - eulogy. What are eulogies? To bless - to speak well of, praise. Words have power - I can talk myself into believing something that’s not true ….
Lastly, Jesus says to
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To pray for them. Take them to the throne of God.
Before we feel overwhelmed with the inability to do with perfectly, Matthew Henry sums it up like this:
“Let us bless them, and pray for them, speak well of them, the best we can, wish well to them, especially to their souls, and be intercessors with God for them.” ~ Matthew Henry
What Jesus is asking us to do, commanding us to do is to have a perspective that is antithetical to human nature. Must live by His Spirit.
But Jesus doesn’t stop there -
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Let me summarize - Christians should be the better lovers of people. Christian love should be different than worldly love.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
From my journal:
How is my love, my actions and attitudes toward people any different from those around me? How is my love different - especially in a world of hate, division, strife and rage? Do I see people as annoyances, problems, issues, inconveniences, interruptions? Or do I see them as God sees them? Wow. Perspective is everything.
I could stand in front of the cross and look down upon them (and block their view of Jesus). Or, I can take a step back and see them through the cross of Christ. People look differently when I see them through the cross. Perspective is everything. If I’m going to love differently than the world, I must see differently from the world. ~ Chad
(Hold up picture) What you see … what I see are two different perspectives. Isn’t that usually the case with God?
“I believe all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Savior.”
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