Discipleship According to Jesus – Part 3
Luke 6:27-36
April 15, 2018
If you’ve been with us the past few weeks you are aware of the fact that Jesus has now begun to address the crowds who are following Him.
We likened it to what James says about God’s word being a mirror
Which reveals to us what we are.
Jesus is certainly doing that.
He is exposing all those who have come to Him.
At the heart of this sermon is Jesus explaining
The necessity of being one of His disciples.
In fact, the whole PURPOSE OF THE SERMON is to drive men to Him.
The Sermon on the Mount is without a doubt
The most CONVICTING and even CONDEMNING sermon ever preached,
But it was preached for a purpose.
It was preached to shake men
Out of their complacency and self-righteousness
And to cause them to fall on Jesus for mercy and salvation
Regardless of the cost.
You are certainly aware of the Great Commission in which we are called to “Go and make disciples”
And yet many times we have acknowledged that in a society as religious as ours (and certainly as religious as the society of Jesus’ day)
It is often necessary to get people lost before you can get them saved.
Most of the time when we approach people with the gospel
Our First Priority is NOT salvation, it is condemnation.
• Now that is not to say that it is our desire to condemn men, certainly it is not.
• Rather I mean our first objective is to show men that despite their religious affiliations and despite their supposed moral goodness they are not in good standing with God.
We first have to lift high the righteous standard of God
That men come to an understanding of their sin
So that they see their infinite need for Christ.
It was the equivalent of the purpose of the Law.
• The Law (Paul says) is a tutor to lead men to Christ.
• The Law condemned so that in Jesus people would see their only hope.
The problem was that by the time Jesus came,
The Jews had totally maligned and misunderstood
And even minimized the true message of the Law.
Jesus first came to reestablish the righteous standard of God
• That men may first be condemned under it
• So that when He offered righteousness found only in Him they would run to it no matter the cost.
And really this is what the Sermon on the Mount is about.
I’ve heard many preachers over the years preach through the Sermon on the Mount as though it were a guide for Christian living.
I think that is a TRAGIC MISTAKE and is greatly missing the point
Of why Jesus preached here on this day.
Does that mean that Christians shouldn’t live according to these standards?
Of course not!
Jesus speaks of mercy and love and obedience and purity in thought
And lack of hypocrisy, and not being judgmental
And surely all of those concepts are encouraged throughout
The New Testament as fundamentals of Christian living.
But that’s not why Jesus preached this sermon.
He preached this sermon to first and foremost show men
Just how far they were from the divine requirement.
And hasn’t He already been doing that?
We’ve look at the first two points of this sermon already.
We are breaking it down by looking at
The various people in the crowd that Jesus addressed.
#1 TO THE COMMITTED
Luke 6:20-23
And of course you will remember that these were the people who were first poor in spirit (as Matthew’s gospel reveals).
• That is to say they understood their spiritual poverty and that they had nothing of value which God would accept.
They threw themselves in full submission to Christ no matter the cost,
And as a result they also happened to be the actual poor.
In order to follow Christ they had lost the world.
They were now poor and hungry and experiencing difficulty accompanied by mourning and were mocked and ill-treated in the world.
But Jesus told that group to rejoice!
In fact He told them how blessed they were.
Because their decision to follow Christ had gained for them
A tremendous eternity and treasure in heaven.
They had already come face to face with their condemnation,
As a result they ran to Jesus, and in Him they found
The greatest treasure that God has ever offered.
Then last week we saw the second group.
#2 TO THE COMFORTABLE
Luke 6:24-26
These people were just the opposite of the first group.
• They were not yet convinced of their sinful condition.
• They had not reached the point of spiritual poverty.
• And because they were not certain of their guilt they had not seen the need to follow Jesus at such a high cost.
Instead of forsaking the world, they kept it.
• They determined to stay rich
• They determined to stay well-fed
• They determined to stay happy and keep their laughter
• They determined to keep their good reputation
They were not willing to leave all that to follow Christ.
They loved the world more.
And Jesus told them that it was
THE MOST FOOLISH DECISION THEY EVER MADE.
For all the joy that they will ever receive,
They are receiving right now.
It will not last, eternity has nothing for them but judgment
And Jesus pronounced that woe upon them.
But you can see very clearly what Jesus is doing here.
He is revealing that men are far from what God requires.
The only hope of salvation is in rejecting this world and gaining Christ.
Those who have done that will rejoice for eternity.
Those who have failed to do that will weep for eternity.
This sermon is about exposing men.
It is about forcing men to examine their own inadequacy before God.
And this is what the gospel first does.
It first crushes men.
There is a very telling verse passage in Matthew’s gospel.
Matthew 21:42-44 “Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’? “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
Jesus is of course that stone.
And the analogy is perfect.
• If you fall on Jesus you will be “broken to pieces”
• Which is to say you will come to full understanding of your own inability.
• Recognizing Christ brings you to the end of yourself.
But for the one who refuses Christ, He will be the rock of judgment
Which will fall on him and scatter him like dust.
THAT’S THE REALITY.
• In order to be saved, man must first be broken.
• He must become one of those poor in spirit
• He must be so convinced of his own inadequacy that he would be willing to leave the world behind that he might gain Christ.
I remind you of that because this morning
Jesus is about to ADDRESS THE THIRD GROUP in this crowd.
This morning He addresses those on the fence.
These are those who are perhaps
Becoming acquainted with Jesus for the very first time.
We already learned that not only was that crowd of disciples here, but also there was a great crowd (6:17) “from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon”
Jesus is about to begin confronting that crowd.
• They are not yet committed to Him as those who have left everything to follow.
• But they are also not yet in that group who have chosen comfort over Christ.
They are neither COMMITTED nor COMFORTABLE
#3 TO THE CURIOUS
Luke 6:27-36
Now this morning we are only covering through verse 36, but in all honesty, this third point spans all the way to the end of the chapter.
Those first two groups that Jesus addressed
Were in a way an illustration meant to prepare this group
For the preaching of Jesus.
These are the people who have come to hear Jesus.
And that is who is addressed in verse 27, “But I say to you who hear…”
And I think now the WHOLE SCOPE OF THE SERMON
Should be coming more into focus.
• He told this crowd about the blessing of following Him at all cost.
• And He told this crowd about the curse of loving the world at the expense of
gaining Christ.
And now, with that illustration planted firmly in the minds of these hearers
Jesus is about to hold the mirror up to them.
It is time to expose them.
It is time to show them how badly they need Him.
And He will do that in three main ways.
1) He will challenge their mercy (which we’ll see this morning)
2) He will question their standard of judgment
3) He will expose their confession
All of these are used of Jesus to show this crowd
How far they are below the divine standard,
To show them how useless their self-righteousness is,
And to clarify exactly what it means to confess Him as Lord.
Jesus is preaching the gospel here.
But let’s begin here as HE CHALLENGES THEIR MERCY.
And for ease of study I want to break this point down a little further.
Let’s look at it in 3 divisions.
1) MERCY EXPLAINED (27-31)
What we find here is extremely enlightening
And it is really a masterful job of Jesus
In the way that He confronts and exposes these religious people.
We look first at verses 27-28 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Now what you find in that statement is both
An EXPECTED mandate and an UNEXPECTED one.
The basic commands are certainly expected.
Look at the verbs.
“love” – “do good” – “bless” – “pray”
Certainly every religious person who ever lived
Understands the obligation of commands like those.
“love” means to sacrifice self for the good of another
And it is hands down the chief requirement of Scripture.
• The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.
The Bible teaches that it is God’s love for humanity that motivated redemption.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
And it’s God’s remarkable love for sinners that brought about the cross.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
It was also Jesus’ love for sinners that brought about His own personal sacrifice.
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
You really can’t read the Bible without seeing that
This is the chief requirement.
And any religious person would have understood the command to love.
Then there is the command to “do good”,
And it just comes from a basic understanding that
Your life should be a benefit to other people.
Certainly this is God, isn’t it?
• He “sends rain on the just and the unjust.”
• He “causes His sun to rise” for the wicked the same as it does for the righteous.
• We even learn from James that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights”
GOD DOES GOOD TO PEOPLE.
So it stands to reason that God also expects people
To be a benefit to this world and not a liability.
In this command is the basics of
• Servant hood
• Civil duty
• Being a good employ
• Being a good spouse
• Being a good child
• Being a good parent
It is the understanding that your life should benefit other people’s lives.
Jesus reveals the command to “bless”.
The Greek word there is EULOGEO
It’s where we get our word for Eulogy, it means “to speak well of”
You shouldn’t gossip, or run down, or slander, or belittle,
Or harm with the tongue.
God’s people should be those who lift others up and encourage others and use their tongues for edification instead of impurity.
And again, that’s basic.
And the final command is of course to “pray”
This would be to petition God for the well-being of your brother.
To lift up his burdens and to request for his deliverance.
And all of this is really just understood and basic religion.
• No one in the crowd would have even batted an eye at the
expectation of such commands.
• What is more, it is highly probable that everyone in the crowd to
some extent did all those things.
The shocking part is not the command,
But the object of the command.
Jesus didn’t just say to “love” He said here to “love your enemies”
Jesus didn’t just say to “do good” He said to “do good to those who hate you”
Jesus didn’t just say to “bless” He said to “bless those who curse you”
Jesus didn’t just say to “pray” He said to “pray for those who mistreat you.”
So let me get this straight:
• You want me to sacrifice myself for the good of a person who wants to destroy me?
• And You want me to benefit someone who hates me and will not appreciate it?
• And You want me to speak well of a person who doesn’t speak well of me?
• And You want me to pray for a person who actively seeks to harm me?
That’s what He said.
That sounds absurd doesn’t it?
While I’m betting EVERYONE in the crowd
Kept those commands in their basic sense,
I’m willing to bet NO ONE in that crowd
Kept them to the extent which Jesus just outlined.
But that’s not all.
He goes on.
(29-30) “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”
Now we aren’t just talking about people whom I don’t get along with,
Here we are talking about people who have actually harmed and cheated me before.
When Jesus speaks of someone who “hits you on the cheek”
And then He wants you to “offer him the other also”
Jesus is saying that you shouldn’t write someone off
Just because they have harmed you in the past.
Ever been burned by someone?
Worldly wisdom says “Wise up, don’t let them do it again.”
How does the old adage go?
“Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”
Well Jesus just blew that logic up.
He said to keep giving chances to people who have harmed you.
He ALSO SAID to keep being charitable to people who have taken advantage of you.
Here we have a guy who asked to borrow “your coat”.
The problem is, he never gave it back.
And now he wants to borrow “your shirt”
And you’re thinking, “yeah right, you’re not gonna cheat me again.”
These aren’t just people who we are at odds with,
These are people who have wronged and cheated us in the past.
• These are people who do not deserve love.
• These are people who do not deserve good.
• These are people who do not deserve blessing.
• These are people who do not deserve prayer.
• These are people who do not deserve your shirt.
• These are people who do not deserve a second chance.
• These are people who do not deserve mercy.
And yet Jesus is flat out telling this crowd that they should give it.
In fact He says, “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”
So if any old person out there comes and wants what is yours,
• Even if they have taken advantage of you in the past,
• And even if they still have your coat,
You’re just supposed to love them and do good to them and bless them and pray for them and be merciful to the even though they don’t deserve it?
Is that what You’re saying?
And of course you know the answer:
YES, that’s exactly what He’s saying.
That is an absurd expectation!
BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY JESUS PRESENTED IT?
You might say, because that’s what God does.
Well that’s true, but that’s NOT the first standard Jesus appeals to.
The first reason Jesus gives this expectation
Is not because it’s God’s expectation.
DO YOU KNOW WHERE JESUS GOT THAT ABSURD EXPECTATION FROM?
He got it from you!
• From someone who has sat in the courts of Heaven listening to all the requests that sinful humans have made of God.
This expectation of mercy is not just God’s expectation of you,
This is your expectation of God.
And Jesus just wants you to offer the mercy you always expect to receive.
(31) “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”
All Jesus did with this crowd
Is outline for them the type of mercy that they expect to receive.
And then He told them that
This is the exact type of mercy they should be willing to give.
(Do we need to go read the story about the King who forgave the slave?)
• Do you not want to be loved even when you don’t deserve it?
• Do you not want people to do good to you even when you don’t deserve it?
• Do you not want people to bless you even when you don’t deserve it?
• Do you not want people to pray for you even when you don’t deserve it?
• Do you not want people to loan you something even if you’ve burned them in the past?
Do you see what Jesus just did?
He revealed to this crowd that
They live by two different standards of mercy.
They have the mercy they want to receive
And they have the mercy they are willing to give.
And the two aren’t the same.
There is problem number one. (they are hypocrites)
Mercy Explained
2) MERCY EXPOSED (32-34)
And this is a particularly difficult section to swallow.
• For Jesus here exposes just how far off the mercy of this crowd is from the mercy that is expected of them.
See, people often come to God with this basic
And yet horribly wrong belief that they are in fact good people.
If Jesus had only told them to “love” and to “do good” and to “bless” and to “pray” and to “lend” without revealing the object of those affections,
Then everyone in the crowd would have said, “This I do!”
I do all those things, I’m a good person.
I’m like God.
UNTIL Jesus reveals just how sinful and fallen our mercy really is.
(32-34) “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.”
You see the point there in the repetition.
Jesus said to love our enemies, which shocked some people.
• They in effect responded, “But wait, they don’t deserve it.”
To which Jesus responded, “Well if you only “love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”
The word “credit” there translates CHARIS
It is the New Testament word for “grace”
What Jesus is saying here is,
If you only love people who deserve it, and not people who don’t, then how is that grace?
How can you consider yourself to be a gracious person?
I wonder how many people in here would consider themselves to be generous and gracious people?
• Oh yes, I’m gracious.
• Oh yes, I give grace to people.
Well Jesus asks, “Really, to who?”
Because if you only give it to those who give it back,
Or to those who deserve it,
Then I’m not really sure you understand the point of grace.
Jesus just said to be merciful in the sense of loving your enemy.
• We said, “yes, but they don’t deserve it.”
• And Jesus asks, “Do you even understand the concept of mercy?”
Mercy by definition is not giving someone what they deserve.
Grace by definition is giving someone what they don’t deserve.
And if you never do either of those, how can you legitimately claim to be merciful, and how can you legitimately claim to be gracious?
Mercy doesn’t count if you only give it to your friends.
Grace doesn’t count if you only give it to your grandkids.
And He says the same thing about doing good.
(33) “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.”
Where’s the grace in that?
Find me any old sinful wicked man in the world and he’ll scratch the back of the man who scratches his.
There’s nothing remarkable in that.
There’s nothing God-like in that.
(34) “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.”
Giving to someone who gives back is not called mercy.
• That’s called a loan.
• That’s what bankers do.
Do you see what Jesus is doing here?
He is not only explaining mercy at a level
At which they have never offered it,
He is also exposing that the mercy they do have
Really isn’t mercy at all.
That’s kind of hard to swallow isn’t it?
I just found out from Jesus that I’m really not as merciful as I thought.
• For one I expect mercy, but I don’t give it.
• For two, the mercy I do give, isn’t really even mercy at all.
My level of goodness isn’t any better than the sinners I live around.
And I really think we have to stop and internalize that for a moment.
I think we have to look in that mirror.
• Can I say that I love my enemies?
• Can I say that I do good to those who hate me?
• Can I say that I bless those who curse me?
• Can I say that I pray for those who mistreat me?
Or, is it more likely that
• My love is reserved only for those who love me back?
• My good is really only for those who do me good?
• I’m really only generous so long as it doesn’t cost me?
What we learn is that the righteousness we are counting on
And the goodness we are trusting in
May not actually be goodness or righteousness at all.
If I was planning on STANDING BEFORE GOD
And declaring that I SHOULD GET TO GO TO HEAVEN
Because I am a loving and good and merciful person,
I may have just learned that my evaluation was a little high.
I’m not what I thought I was.
Mercy Explained, Mercy Exposed
3) MERCY EXPECTED (35-36)
Well here is where the command comes.
This is the absolute uncompromised standard
That is expected for anyone who desires
To receive treasure in heaven and to be considered a child of God.
Are you ready?
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Now pay attention for a moment.
• Is this the divine standard? Absolutely
• Is this the divine expectation? Absolutely
• Is this the absolute requirement? Absolutely
If you don’t do these things,
You WILL NOT be considered a child of God
And you WILL NOT have treasure in heaven.
You can’t miss that.
And don’t try to lower the bar here.
Jesus DOESN’T say “love your enemies most of the time and do your best at doing good and lend at least once in your life without expecting return and then you’ll have treasure in heaven and will be called sons of the Most High.”
Jesus did not say that!
In fact, if you want to know where the required standard is.
Jesus removes all doubt in verse 36, “Be merciful, JUST AS your Father is merciful.”
Did you catch the standard?
You have to be as merciful as God, or you aren’t getting in.
Here it is in Matthew’s gospel.
Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
It’s the same thing.
You have to be like God or you’re not getting in.
Does that condemn you?
• It does me.
• And if you’re honest, it does you to.
Now, is that what I strive for? Yes
Do I agree with it and try to apply it? Yes
But do I fulfill it like God does? No
And if I listen to what Jesus has to say here
Then I must come to the conclusion
That by own efforts, I am still under condemnation.
By my own abilities and efforts
I will never be a child of God and will never earn eternal reward.
Now that sounds harsh, but that’s the ONLY POSSIBLE CONCLUSION
I can draw from what Jesus said.
WHY WOULD HE PREACH SUCH A SERMON?
TO DRIVE ME TO HIM!
From time to time we sing the song, “I Look Up”
It’s a beautiful song of the gospel.
“When I look all around me And all I can see Are my mountains of failure and sin. I will hope in the One Crucified in my place Jesus Christ the Redeemer of men. When I’m standing accused And I’m guilty as charged And I’ve nothing that I can defend; I will trust in the righteousness Given to me By Jesus my Savior and Friend. When I measure my heart By Your holy decrees All my motives and deeds I despise. I will claim all Your sacrifice Purchased for me By Your death I will stand justified”
• I’m not merciful like God is merciful.
• I don’t love like God loves.
• I don’t bless like God blesses.
• I don’t do good like God does good.
• I don’t lend like God lends.
BUT JESUS DOES.
And the offer of the gospel is that
• If I will admit that I am the worst of failures,
• And deny all my efforts of earning my own salvation
• And see them as being totally worthless,
• And if I will place my faith in who Jesus is and what He has done for me,
• Then I can stand before God fully clothed in His righteousness.
In Jesus I can fulfill this lofty expectation.
Certainly these standards are the aim of life.
Certainly these standards are what we work toward.
Certainly these standards are our desire.
But these standards are only fulfilled in the righteousness of Christ
Which is credited to me when I place my faith in Him.
Again and again and again we see it.
We need Christ!
We are condemned men apart from Him.
And that is the point of this message as well.
• This not a sermon on the expected benevolence of man.
• This is a sermon the total need for Christ.
When Jesus spoke to the COMMITTED,
He encouraged their faith.
When Jesus spoke to the COMFORTABLE,
He exposed their judgment.
And now when Jesus speaks to the CURIOUS,
He explodes their hope.
That is, He totally destroys any hope they have
Of trusting in their own righteousness.
They are not righteous enough.
And neither are we.
Through Christ alone can we be made pleasing to the Father.
• This is the hope of the believer.
• This is the call to those who do not believe.
