Luke 6 vs 27-49

This is the hardest portion of Luke’s Gospel to go through. Why? Because it’s an impossible section. These words, commandments of Jesus, and you may disagree with me, are not so we can make our checklist and achieve and attain, but that we would see just how badly we are in need of a Savior and the work of the Holy Spirit changing and changing and changing our heart… These things, we know we cannot do…but underneath it all, this is what you want to do, if you’re born again by the Spirit of God.
Luke Chapter 6 Verses 27 – 31
•I call these the laws of kindness because this is the character of God on display. This is a window into His own heart and we know that because this is what He has done, does and will do for you and for me in our lives. Take heart, there’s nothing you’ve done that will interrupt this flow of grace from God to you in your life.
•On one side of the equation there are enemies. Hate. Curse. Being spitefully used. Striking. Taking away. And incessant requesting. There is hardship coming. But the response of kindness, the character of God Himself, what He returns for what I bring, the other side of the equation there is love. Doing good in return for being hated on… Blessing when cursed. Praying for those who spitefully use. Giving to those who are taking and not restraining or even resisting those who are lashing out. It’s not of this world…it’s definitely not of me. This test… I get an F-! HA!!
•Confounding to the flesh and confusing to the rationale of the fallen nature. But this is pure love and you and I need to know, this is the love that God has for you (even right now, tonight)! Even right now as I fail Him and time and time and day and day again and again, He continues to show me kindness, goodness and love. He continues to seek what is good for me. How unlike Him I really am!
•There are a lot of Christians out there that like to play church. But we aren’t to be good church people, we are supposed to be becoming more like Jesus. It’s like going to the hospital and getting a diagnosis of some sort of life-threatening disease. And the doctor comes in and says, “Ok, here’s the plan. Go home and take a long and very thorough bath.” Huh? You can’t clean the outside long or thoroughly enough to fix what is wrong on the inside. Christianity, following Jesus, and this is the hard part for me, ugh…it’s about fixing what’s inside…
•Following after God is less of an act of will for what is right, to be good and obedient to God Most High and much more of a complete heartbreaking realization of what God has done and continues to do for me, personally. I can’t and won’t desire to do these things and be like this because they are right or because I am commanded to do them. They won’t become who I am… But this is who God is… and seeing this in my own life, receiving these things from a perfect God in my own life, realizing that every element of my heart needs addressing…that breaks me down. And I grow into doing these things because of what has been done for me…which causes me to want this more than I want sin…
•Christian, this is who you are because this is who Christ is… If someone hates you, (and it’s going to happen), misunderstandings and rumors and mistakes and envy, all kinds of reasons… return to them goodness. Do good to them. When they curse you, bless them. When you are used spitefully, pray for them. When struck personally, don’t strike back. (Definitely not talking about physical attack. Culturally they would have understood this.) When someone asks, don’t withhold…be gracious. Walk in these things and watch what happens. I’m not even going to tell you…I want you to see for yourself. It will free you… Do the opposite, it will fee you (cost you). You take command of the situation by sacrificially giving. Look at what happened at the cross!
•Consider that God does all of these things for you and you and I are only on the bad side of the equation. Can anyone here add to God’s goodness by doing good for Him? Can anyone here pray for God? Can anyone here be spitefully used by God? Can anyone here be robbed by God? You see, we are all only on the bad side of this equation with our King. And yet He returns to us what we do not deserve because of how wonderful He is…
•What you want done for you, you do first to them… Christians are leaders… and all sorts of issues and falls and problems arise when Christians choose not to lead in the things of Christ. But when we lead, we light up the darkness and what we ultimately desire… love, goodness, patience, kindness… we have the task and ability and privilege through the Holy Spirit of enabling those things by leading in those things.
•Don’t worry if you don’t think you can do these things, you can’t. But your weaknesses will prove how strong God is when you DO do them in the power of the Holy Spirit! God hasn’t called you to this because He knows you can do it, handle it, He called you to this because He know He can handle it.
•One caveat…we are given the warning and the encouragement in Matthew 7 that if you lead in these things and are harmed and harmed and harmed and harmed in return…then stop. This is your heart and what you want, no doubt…but remember Jesus and the rich young ruler? Full of himself and in love with what he could get for himself…he turned and departed from Jesus…what did Jesus do? Let him go… Pray for those who spitefully use you…but learn who will use you and who will serve with you. Do good to those who hate you…but learn who hates and who loves and align accordingly. To him who strikes, don’t strike back…but learn who is a striker and who is a healer. Be as gentle as doves but as wise as serpents…Christians aren’t idiots…they’re Christians…
Luke Chapter 6 Verses 32 – 36
•Fail. I mean I fail this one miserably. FAIL FAIL FAIL! But God can train my heart if I let Him. To be friendly to those who are not friendly to me. This is the clear character of God and this is what He does even today in your life as you live imperfectly perfect unto Him. Lend kindness, lend goodness, lend friendliness and grace even HOPING it says here for nothing in return. Bruh! This cannot come from me or from you! This is the fruit of the Spirit shining through you. To do good to only those who do good to you…even the flesh knows how to do that and so you know what that is…the flesh. Whoa! Our aim and daily intention, at least our heart’s desire, should be to out-love each other… Clearly what God does for each of us in our lives.
•You know, this is interesting. Often times to love someone is to do to them and for them what your feelings don’t agree with. Love your enemies? Love those who don’t love you? I’m not going to feel that…but what God asks of me, is that I do that. You’ve heard it say that love is not a feeling, it is a commitment, an action, something you do…this puts that on display! The result is love that is more pure, deeper and stronger and further than any emotion could have ever gotten you, EVER.
Luke Chapter 6 Verses 37 – 38
•The whole thought here is to live in a way outside of yourself and outside of your emotions and personal circumstance because truly, and this is a tough one, the real world doesn’t revolve around you. Your world does, naturally…but reality…THE world does not. And so, judgement, condemnation, unforgiveness…the center of all of that is self, but love…love is the most excellent way and it is centered first upon the Person of Jesus, then upon others…then self. And this is the way of life and life abundant.
•I love what Guzik says, “Among those who seem to know nothing of the Bible, this is the verse that seems to be the most popular. Judge not, and you shall not be judged.” The context is condemnation. Later in this chapter Jesus is going to talk about knowing someone by their fruit. How are you to do that without making judgments based on what people say and do? You can’t. And so what is meant here is don’t pass condemnation type judgement…
•What’s that look like? Don’t think the worst of others. Don’t talk only about the faults of others. Don’t make a decision about someone’s character based solely on their worst moments. Don’t assume hidden malicious motives of others. Don’t pass judgment without considering yourself in the same situation as them. And don’t judge forgetting you yourself will be judged. Judge with love. Heroically… (Old Testament meaning of the word “judge.”) Seeking the best for them and for you and honoring the Lord.
•Outgive one another. In the Lord and trusting in Him and truly because He is telling the truth here, we can give without fear that we will lose. No one loses who gives. You only gain.
Luke Chapter 6 Verse 39
•I love this truth, not the negative side or sound to it but the fact that we need to remember, as friends, as a married couple, we win together or we lose together. I’m not against you and even when we are at odds, remember, if you fall we both fall. This also means that one of us has to go in for the Lord. And in my home, it should be me first. Whether you are the parent, child, wife or husband, repeat after me, “It should be me first.”
•You know, this one is real to me, when I set up my tent in the flesh, and when you do that…you are walking those around you into blindness. Teaching them how not to see…man, how we should be doing the opposite for those around us and for the world!
Luke Chapter 6 Verses 40 – 44
•V40 – You don’t know more than Jesus! HA! So why aren’t you following Him and doing what He would have you to do? Because you think you’re above Him. Dummy! HA!!
•V41 – The idea here is that even if you have to strain to see it, you’d rather deal with the minor faults of others than the major faults of your own…which can be plainly seen by everyone. Whoa! HA!! That’s a blow, eh?
•V44 – So many times we want things to be good, we want love, we want folks around us to feel loved but remember this, Proverbs 18:24 says, “One who has friends must himself be friendly!” Good doesn’t come from evil and evil doesn’t come from good. Stop trying to squeeze good fruit juice out of a rigor mortised possum!! HA! (couldn’t think of anything better) The point is, if you do desire love and you do want goodness then you have to, yes in the moment, flip to allowing God to use you…then good fruit will come.
Luke Chapter 6 Verse 45
•This chapter is all about knowing yourself, not judging others on their worst moments. Who in here has a pure and perfect heart? None of us. And so, we say stupid things. Things we don’t really mean…why then do we say them in the moment? Because no one in here has arrived and everyone in here needs God to work on their hearts. Don’t use this verse to judge others…use it to make yourself humble.
Luke Chapter 6 Verses 46 – 49
•This cannot be clearer! The strengthening, the healing, the helping, the hoping, the standing, the prevailing, the living isn’t in the hearing, the agreement, the contemplation or the understanding…its in the doing. Al Pittman once said, “If you believe and do not do then you do not believe.” Whoa!
•Jesus doesn’t tag this on to the end of these impossible statements in this chapter to condemn or to chastise but rather to call me and to call you to do our part, to follow Him, to believe Him, so that when the flood of this world hits our doorstep, He will look at His child and see us ok. See us not shaken and not in hopelessness. This is the heart of the Father for me and for you. This is the good that He has purposed even today for you, no matter what you brought into this place in terms of sin and failure and hurt and F- report cards. Today for me and for you can either be just one day or it can be day one…
•Jesus said to His beloved daughter on the worst day of her life, “Woman, where are your accusers?” After looking around, she realized He had driven them all away. He said to her, “Neither do I accuse you, go and sin no more.” I want you to know, that was not a command to be perfect…that was an invitation to come and be with Him.