Love, Do Good, Bless, Pray...

Luke 6:27-28

27 But to you who are listening I say: LOVE your enemies, DO GOOD to those who hate you, 28 BLESS those who curse you, PRAY for those who mistreat you.

One of the most difficult passages to read, to embrace, and to put into practice is found in Luke 6.  It is actually a quite simple passage of Scripture; it is actually easy to understand.  However, the difficulty comes in embracing it and in doing it.  Let me be clear from the very beginning.  The Bible tells us in Romans 3 that we are all sinners, that none of us seek God, that none of us seek to do good in and of ourselves.  Romans 3 tells us that our "throats are open graves" and that our "tongues practice deceit."  We need to know exactly who we are because of our sin, and we need to know the devastation of our sin because of the separation from God our sin has caused.  We also need to know that God loves us, and God has done something about sinful condition and sinful circumstances.  Romans 5 tells us all about God's great love, that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Did we deserve that?  Did we earn that?  Absolutely not!  It is God's grace poured out and given to us, and that is it.  Now, let's get back to Luke 6.

In Luke 6:12, the Bible tells us that Jesus went to the mountainside to pray and that He actually spent the entire night there on the mountainside praying to God the Father.  I believe He was praying about the message He was going to deliver the next day.  I believe He was praying for His disciples and for anyone and everyone who would hear the message He was going to preach.  That message would be a message that many, if not all of them, probably had never really heard before and a message that probably went against the grain of their culture and their society and their human nature.  Jesus said to them in Luke 6:27-28, "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."  Again, these words are not difficult to understand.  The difficulty comes in application.  When someone comes against you and comes against your principals and your values, it is easy to call them an enemy.  Our human nature, our sinful nature, leads us to fight the enemy, to push back against the enemy, and/or to hurt the enemy.  As Christ followers, we are called to live differently.  Actually, we are called to love differently.  Jesus clearly shows us and tells us the right way to live with our enemies.  We are to LOVE them, DO GOOD to them, BLESS them, and PRAY for them.  Jesus actually continue this conversation with His disciples and with all those who came to see Him and to hear Him that day.  In verses 29 and 30, Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek when we are slapped.  He tells us that if someone takes our coat then give them our shirt, as well.  He tells us that is someone takes something from us not to demand it back.  And in Luke 6:31, Jesus says, "Do to others as you would have them do to you."  

If you turn on the television or if you turn on your computers, I wonder how much you see of this passage of Scripture being embraced and lived out today?  And I am not talking about non-believers; I am talking about professing Christ followers.  I am talking about me and my faith family!  I am talking about leaders in whom we trust and in whom we support and in whom we follow!  I wonder today do we even care about our sanctification?  When we repent of our sin and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Bible tells us that we are changed in an instant and that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit of God.  From that moment forward, we are being sanctified, which means we should become more and more like Jesus in the way that we talk and in the way that we walk.  I don't believe we have a LISTENING problem; I believe we have an OBEYING problem.  Jesus' words are absolutely clear, not only in this passage found in Luke 6, but in every passage of the Bible.  He clearly tells us what is right and what is wrong.  We either embrace it, or we reject it.  Our world is broken because of sin.  Our world is suffering because of sin.  God has given us His amazing grace and love in the form of Jesus.  God has rescued us and redeemed us as Christ followers, and God has given us the ability to be vessels of His grace and love to a world that desperately needs it.  However, if we pick and choose which words and passages to embrace and reject others, are we really being the vessels God created and enable us to be?  As Christ followers, we are called to LOVE, DO GOOD, BLESS, and PRAY...for one another, yes, but for anyone and everyone else, as well, including our enemies.  Jesus goes on in Luke 6 with more powerful words.  He says in verses 32-36, "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 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.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."  In verses 37-49, Jesus goes on to discuss judging others, bearing good fruit, and building wisely.

I don't know about you, but when I look around I don't see much mercy, much love or good or blessing or praying.  I don't see much obedience when it comes to this passage of Scripture.  And let me be clear, I am looking in the mirror first.  I am looking at me first.  It begins with me!  I don't have a hard time reading God's Word or listening to the words of Jesus; I have a hard time obeying, especially when it comes to my enemies.  However, as a Christ follower, if I am truly humble before God and if I have truly surrendered my life to God, then I will repent of my sin daily and obediently walk before Him.  Am I perfect?  No.  But His command found in Matthew 5:48 is one again simple: "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."  As a Christ follower, I strive each day to walk as Jesus walked, which means I want to live as He lived and love as He loved.  I have to choose this daily.  I know it is easy for me to look past myself and see others - Christ followers, leaders, friends, strangers, and even unbelievers - and wonder why they choose to be so angry, so hateful, so wicked, but God has a word for that, too.  I can't talk about the "speck of sawdust" in someone else's eye and pay no attention to the "plank in my own eye."  Like I said, Jesus was talking to me in this passage; Jesus was commanding me to live and to love differently than the world.  It begins with me!

Father, thank You for loving me.  Thank You for rescuing and redeeming me.  Father, forgive me.  I am a sinner, and I need Your power in my life.  Thank You for baptizing me with the Holy Spirit, for empowering and enabling me to live for You and to live like Jesus.  Thank You for my salvation and for my sanctification.  I am relying on Your grace and Your love so that I can be a vessel of that same grace and love to anyone and to everyone I come in contact with today, including my enemies.  Help me today, Father, to LOVE, DO GOOD, BLESS, and PRAY the way Jesus commanded me in Luke 6.  And may my life be a glory and an honor to You in every way.  Amen.

In the Midst of Suffering (Part 6 - Final)

Isaiah 53:1-3

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, A MAN OF SUFFERING, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Over the past couple of months, I've been preaching this series - In the Midst of Suffering - at my church.  In this series, we looked at the truth of God's Word about the suffering that we face in this life.  We know that all suffering is a result of sin, whether directly or indirectly.  Suffering comes to us through trials and through discipline.  But most importantly, we know that God uses all suffering in the lives of Christ followers for their GOOD and for His GLORY.  Harold Kushner wrote a book entitled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People.  Pastor R.C. Sproul was asked a question about that book.  Someone asked him, "Pastor Sproul, why do bad things happen to good people?"  He gave a simple but truthful answer: "In my life, I have not met any good people, so I don't know."  When it comes to suffering, every person who has ever lived or is living or ever will live is a sinner.  The suffering in the life that is a result of sin is something that we all have earned.  In and of ourselves there is no on who is good or does good.  Romans 3:10-12 says, "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have altogether become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."  Jesus is the only perfect One; He is the only good One who has ever lived.  

In Isaiah 53, we read the prophecy about our Suffering Savior.  Isaiah 53:3 says plainly that Jesus is "A MAN OF SUFFERING."  But what does this passage of Scripture mean for you and for me today, especially in the midst of the suffering that we are facing.  Because of His suffering, Jesus can relate to us on every level of our suffering.  I don't believe we should ever compare our suffering with someone else.  Whatever suffering you are going through, whatever level of suffering it may be, it is hard for you; it is painful, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually.  Jesus can relate to your suffering.  He was A MAN OF SUFFERING.  What makes this incredible to me is that Jesus didn't deserve to suffer.  Jesus didn't suffer because of His sin; Jesus never sinned.  Jesus suffered BECAUSE of our sin and FOR our sin.  The Bible makes it clear that there is a difference between God's discipline and God's punishment.  God's discipline is for His children and out of His great love.  God's punishment is for unbelievers who choose to take God's wrath due to sin.  Jesus bore your sin and my sin so that we would not have to face God's punishment, His wrath.  Jesus is our Sacrifice; Jesus is our Substitute.  Jesus embraced the suffering so that we might be HEALED.  Isaiah 53:4-6 goes on to say, "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, and he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."  Jesus, A MAN OF SUFFERING, embraced the ultimate suffering that you and I deserved; He did it so that we might be healed of our sinful condition and be made right with God.  Jesus willingly laid down His life for us so that we might live fully and eternally!

I don't know what kind of suffering you are facing today; I don't know what level of suffering you are facing today.  However, I do know why you are suffering.  You are suffering as a result of sin in our world.  If you are going through a trial, then your suffering is an indirect result of all sin that plagues our world.  If you are going through godly discipline, then your suffering is a direct result of your sin.  But the beautiful truth is this: No matter what suffering you are going through, God will use it for your GOOD and for His GLORY!  As a Christ follower, you will never have to suffer the way Jesus suffered - the ultimate punishment of God's wrath because of your sin.  He did that for you; He did that once and for all!  In the midst of suffering that you face today, TRUST in Jesus, LEAN on Jesus, and RELY on Jesus, your Suffering Savior!  

In the Midst of Suffering (Part 5)

Matthew 11:6

"Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."

When I was a kid, I loved going over to my Aunt Nancy's house.  One of my favorite things about going over to Aunt Nancy's was her big storybook Bible.  I loved when Aunt Nancy would open that Bible up and read to me.  One of my favorite Bible stories was the one about John the Baptist.  In her storybook Bible, the pictures of John made him look like a rough and tough dude!  He had a wooly beard and long hair.  His clothing was ragged and rough looking, as well.  But I remember his message: "Repent of your sins and be baptized!  The Messiah is coming!"  John 1:15 says, "John testified concerning him.  He cried out saying, 'This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'"  In John 1:34, after John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he said, "I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One."  What a man of God!  What a powerful message!  What a testimony!

Fast forward.  In Matthew 11, John the Baptist is in King Herod's prison.  John had continued to preach Jesus to the world.  He continue to preach a message of repentance of sins and baptism and belief in Jesus.  He offended many Jews during his time.  He also offended many leaders, including King Herod.  His message to King Herod was simple but powerful:  You are a sinful man, and you are unlawful for marrying your brother's wife.  King Herod had him imprisoned.  This is where we find John in Matthew 11.  We find him in the prison.  We find him IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING.  Matthew 11:1-5 says, "After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.  When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?'  Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.'"  John was IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING.  He was in a difficult place, and he could not rescue himself.  

If a trial for the Christ follower is a test of faith, what is one dangerous temptation that we need to recognize and confront in the midst of suffering???  DOUBT!!!  Doubt can be dangerous when we don't recognize it and confront it and give it to God.   In his book, When Doubt Becomes Unbelief, he says, "Unbelief is the decision to live your life as if there is no God.  It is a deliberate decision to reject Jesus Christ and all that He stands for.  But doubt is something quite different.  Doubt arises within the context of faith.  It is a wistful longing to be sure of the things in which we trust."  Paul David Tripp says in his book, Suffering, "There are two kind of doubt.  First is the doubt of wonderment.  God's ways can confuse you.  What God knows is good FOR us doesn't always look good TO us.  The doubt of wonderment is a normal part of a healthy life of faith.  God won't always make sense to you, and when He doesn't, bringing your doubt to Him is GOOD.  But there's a second and unhealthy form of doubt.  It is the doubt of judgment.  This doubt is not the result of wondering what God is doing.  This form of doubt is the result of CONCLUDING that, because of your CIRCUMSTANCES, God is not good and therefore not worthy of your trust.  Sowing seeds of this kind of doubt in the hearts of sufferers is one of the Enemy's most powerful tools."

Let's get back to John the Baptist.  John was in prison, in the midst of suffering.  He began to suffering with DOUBT.  He couldn't understand why Jesus was in Galilee preaching and teaching and healing.  Why wasn't Jesus in Jerusalem with his "winnowing fork in his hands, clearing his threshing floor, gathering wheat into his barn, and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire"?  John was in a difficult circumstance, and he had unmet expectations because he suffered with a limited perception.  John was suffering, and doubt was there!  But let's not bash John the Baptist.  John the Baptist did the right thing in the midst of suffering.  John the Baptist did the right thing with his doubt.  Instead of giving in to his doubt, he gave his doubt to Jesus.  Instead of doubting with judgment, he doubted with wonderment.  And Jesus came through for John.  No.  Jesus didn't stop what He was doing in Galilee to rescue John from King Herod's prison with power and force.  Instead, Jesus came through with the Word of God.  Jesus gave John biblical revelation.  He quoted scripture to John.  He quoted passages from Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61.  Jesus encourage John to trust Him.  That is why Jesus said to him in Matthew 11:6, "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."  The King James Version says, "And blessed is he, whosever shall not be offended in me."  David Platt says, "To not be offended because of Jesus is essentially to trust Him."  Wow!

So many times in the midst of suffering in this life, we turn to creation rather than the Creator.  We try to rescue ourselves.  We call on someone or something else to rescue us.  So many times in the midst of suffering in this life, we face doubt.  Doubt is dangerous.  We will be tempted to doubt God in judgment, to doubt His purposes and plans, to doubt His timing, and ultimately to doubt His goodness.  What we do in the midst of suffering will have both an earthly and heavenly impact.  What we do with our doubt will make a difference between life and death.  No, not just physical death.  It will make a difference in life eternal and death eternal.  We need to do what John the Baptist did.  We need to turn to Jesus.  We need to give Jesus our doubt, and Jesus will give us God's Word!  Jesus will call on us to trust Him, no matter what!  Will it mean immediate rescue from earthly harm?  Will it mean immediate power and force?  Will it mean physical life or death?  I can't tell you what that will mean for you in your circumstance of suffering because I don't know God's plan for you or His timing for you.  What I can tell you is this: God will use all suffering for the GOOD of His children and for His GLORY.  John the Baptist died in King Herod's prison.   I know it is hard to understand how that is for his GOOD and for God's GLORY.  However, with biblical revelation and trust in the Lord, we can see that John accomplished his purpose in this life for God's kingdom.  John glorified God with his life.  When John was struggling in the midst of suffering and plagued with doubt, Jesus didn't bash John or criticize him.  Rather, Jesus affirms John as the greatest of prophets, even the greatest of persons born of woman!  Jesus says in Matthew 11:11, "Truly, I tell you, among those born of woman there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  Up to this point, John had seen and experienced Jesus in a way that none of the other prophets had ever experienced.  John's message was given to him by God, and he proclaimed it boldly to the world.  Yet, Jesus reminds us all of the privilege we have today as Christ followers.  David Platt says, "All men, including John the Baptist, had an incomplete picture of the Messiah.  Their perspective was limited in terms of what to expect from the Messiah.  However, even the least person who comes into the kingdom after Jesus has a greater understanding of the Messiah than everyone who came before Him."  Wow!  I don't know where you are in your suffering at this moment, but I do know that God works for your GOOD and for His GLORY!  And I do know that as a Christ follower Jesus' life, death, and resurrection has fully secured your rescue and your redemption!  Run to Jesus in the midst of your suffering!  Run to Jesus with your doubt!  YOUR VICTORY IS IN JESUS!