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| Lesson - September 4, 2004
Love is Always Kind Pastor Lance Witt Welcome to the Love video series
of Bible study. If
you're new to the group, we're so glad that you've joined us and
looking forward to you participating in the study.
Roman Nevada was a 19th Century Prime Minister of Spain was
dying and was asked by a priest, "Does your Excellency forgive
all of his enemies?" "I don't
have to forgive my enemies," replied Nevada, "I have had
them all shot!" I want to read to
you what Jesus said out of Luke chapter 6 verse 27 to 31. ""But
I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who
mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek,
turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop
him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks
you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
31 Do to others as you would have them do to you." And
we might ask, "Is Jesus really serious?" "Does
He really expect us to apply this teaching?" In
some ways, it is so far from our experience that it feels out of
reach. Much of what
Jesus teaches is the exact opposite of what we've been taught in our
families. It runs
counter-cultural to our American value.
We have deep value and expectations in individual rights. One
of the fundamental values of American life is that we all have a
certain inalienable rights. And
when those rights are violated, we expect something to be done.
We want justice. We want a level playing field.
We want the rules enforced.
But Jesus calls us to a lifestyle that lives by a different
set of rules. Let's
take a closer look at how Jesus expects us to respond to those who
have hurt us. First
in the passage, there are four loving responses that we ought to
have for difficult people. The
first one is: There are
choices of Love. Love
your enemies. There it
is in plain loving language. Jesus
raises the bar as He simply commands us to love our enemies. And
the starting point is for you and I to take responsibility to our
response to those who've hurt us. You
can't control what others do to you but you can control how you
respond to them. Perhaps
there is a hurt in your life that's still fresh and honestly, you're
still struggling with bitterness.
Every time you think of that situation, your heart beats a
little fast and you feel the stress inside.
It's
not easy. But loving
those who hurt us is a choice we make.
Augustine said, "To love those who love you is human, to
hate those who love you is demonic, but to love those who hate you,
that's divine." And
you will need God's divine help to be able to love those who hurt
you. But it's not only
God's help that you'll draw on, but you'll also draw on the power of
the group you're with tonight.
Because they will also serve you through the times of crisis.
With Christ in you, you can love those who hurt you.
You don't have to be the victim.
You can be set free by choosing to love. When
we love our enemies as well as our friends, we reflect character of
God. Abraham Lincoln
was rebuked one time for his lenient attitude towards the
Southerners. Lincoln
replied, "What a better way to destroy your enemy than to make
him a friend." Now,
let me ask you a penetrating question, you may want to discuss this
later in your group: Is
there somebody in your mind right now that you need to choose to
love? May
not be easy but as much as it depends on your will, will you choose
to love them? It's a
choice in love. Secondly,
He says there are acts of love.
He goes on a step further.
It's challenging enough that He tells us to love those who
have hurt us but now he tells us in verse 27 to do good to those who
hate us. Paul gives us
a practical example of this in Romans 12:20, it says, "...If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give
him something to drink. In
doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." The
reference to the coals on the head may refer to a ritual in Egypt,
which a person can show his repentance by carrying a pan of burning
charcoals on top of his head. By
doing good to those who hurt you, it is incredible rewarding for you
and it has far more impact than any kind of revenge. Love…..has
the best chance of leading that person back to repentance.
Would you be willing to take the risk of reaching out to
someone that has hurt you, and authentically and genuinely serve him
in some way. There's
a third loving response: There
are words of love that can be expressed.
Jesus says, "Bless those who curse you".
The most natural and easiest thing to do is to speak evil or
be critical of those who have hurt us.
Jesus says that we're to bless them.
To bless means to speak good words. Now,
this passage does not talk about flattery.
He's talking about genuine, heart-felt words of blessing.
Be kind to them. There's
a fourth loving response: Then
again, it's not easy but it's prayers of love.
Jesus concludes verse 28 by telling us to pray for those who
mistreat us. Now, this
is not an encouragement for you to pray judgment on those who cause
you pain. Jesus was a
supreme example of this as He hung on the cross.
He lifted those who have put Him there and gently prayed to
His Father, "Forgive them, for they do not know what they are
doing." A
German pastor, who were eventually killed by the Nazis, wrote of
Jesus teaching on praying for the enemy and he said, "Through
the medium of prayer, we go to our enemy, stand by his side and plea
for him to God." When
we go to the presence of our heavenly Father and genuinely intercede
on behalf for those who have hurt us, we have a difficult time
holding on to our bitterness and anger.
You might want to take an opportunity tonight or perhaps
other times during this study, to get into groups of 3 & 4 and
pray together. Let this
be a time to listen, encourage and pray for those in your group who
are struggling to love someone.
This is not the time to give advice as much as it is a time
to pray. Call on God
who can change hearts and give us the supernatural power to love.
First,
we talked about loving responses, and now I want to look at two
loving reactions in difficult situations.
First, we must learn to refuse to retaliate.
On verse 29, " If
someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also."
Jesus was the supreme example of this as well.
We
read in 1 Peter 2: "Christ who suffer for you is your
example" Following
in His steps. He never
sinned, He never deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when He was insulted.
When He suffered, He did not threatened to get even.
He left his case in the hands of God who always judges
fairly. Jesus did not
retaliate and have set the same standard for us.
Jesus
forbids retaliation in personal relationships.
This is not a passage about civil justice.
The Bible is clear that we have a need for government and
those who commit wrongs against society should be held accountable
by our system of justice. This passage is talking about individual relationships.
In
Romans 12:15 Paul writes, "Do
not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in
the eyes of everybody."
Among the Jews, a slap or a strike on someone's face is
the most insulting and demeaning thing you can do to a person.
Even a slave would rather be struck with a whip than slap in
the face by his master. Jesus
is teaching us that we are to leave our protection and dignity in
God's hands. As
I understand this passage of Paul's teaching in Romans, it is never
ever a prerogative of a Christian to seek revenge.
This passage takes us beyond how we respond genuinely to
those who mistreat us. And
he now gives us these two specific situations and how we are to
react in the moment. In
the moment that you are slapped, hurt or maligned, or mistreated,
how will you react? This
is very important because how we react in the heat of the moment is
the difference between seizing the opportunity to present the Christ
or leaving away the anger and hurtful words. Here's
an important truth to learn. What
comes out of us in those moments when we're mistreated doesn't make
our character. So
refuse to retaliate. Secondly,
choose to be generous, Jesus says. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your
tunic." The
tunic is a garment all men wore this part of the ancient world.
It's sort of a long body shirt.
The cloak is like a long overcoat and was used as a blanket
on cold nights. It is folded up as a pillow in the Summer.
The
cloak was protected by law. In
fact, in the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, in the 22nd
Chapter, "26 If
you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by
sunset, 27 because his cloak is the only covering he
has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to
me, I will hear, for I am compassionate." So,
if you took someone's cloak as a business transaction, you had to
return it to them by nightfall.
Now, Jesus comes along and gives us a new standard in the New
Testament. He focuses
not on the one borrowing the cloak but on the one whose cloak is
being borrowed. And
here is what I believe is the essence of Jesus' teaching.
This verse is a reminder to us that people's needs are more
important than possessions and properties.
It
is a reminder to hold the stuff in this life loosely and make it
available to those in need. In Acts 2: 44, 45 just as the churches are getting started,
we read these words "All
the believers were together and had everything in common. 45
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had
need." You're going to have plenty of opportunity in the course
of next several weeks to help the needs of other people who are with
you and around you. I
want to encourage you to have an open spirit to respond to the needs
of those around you. Finally,
to sum everything up, there's one loving rule to live by, in a
difficult world. Jesus
closes this passage with a verse that boils down this teaching to a
single kernel of
all Christ-like relationships.
Quite simply, Jesus said by obeying this one rule, you'll do
everything else we've talked about. You
will refuse to retaliate. You
will be more generous. There
will be acts of love coming out of your life.
You'll express words of love, you will pray for other people
and you will choose to love others.
Here's the one rule He encourages us to live by, "31
Do to others as you would have them do to you." How
would your life be different if you live by this law?
At work, in your home and the people around you, and the
people you associate with. What if you would treated as the way you want to be treated.
How would life at work be different if people would live by
this one statement? How
would your small group be different? This is a tough passage in the Scripture.
It's not tough to understand.
It's tough to live out.
Sometimes, we think the Christian life is complicated and
complex but Jesus said if you want to boil the Christian life down
to its essence, this is it: Love
God, love people. Loving
people is the challenge in this passage.
Jesus said if we just love those that love us, we're no
different than anyone else. He
said anybody can love like that, but to love those who've hurt us,
to bless those who've wounded us, to serve those who criticize us
and pray for those who attack us, now, that's a different kind of
love that gets people's attention.
As you get ready to go to your small group discussions
tonight, I want to leave with one word of encouragement for your
discussion time: Be
honest about where you are. It's
okay, those of in your group will listen and they will pray for you
and care about you. It
can be a pivotal moment in your spiritual journey. Take
the risk and God will honor you.
I look forward to seeing how God is working in your life and
in your group. May God
bless you in your discussion.
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