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Loving Like Christ




"Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 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. 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."
Luke 6:31-36

Good Morning my beloved,

We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are so grateful that you could be here with us today. I hope you are looking forward to the return of our study of the Gospel of Luke as much as I am. I pray that it has blessed all of you and impacted your walk with our Lord as much as it has mine.

I'd like to express my sincerest thanks and deepest gratitude for your unwavering dedication in helping us spread the Word of God throughout the world, your extraordinary efforts have not gone unnoticed. Your support is invaluable part of this ministry's success, I couldn't do what I do without your love and support. Thank you for being such a vital part of this ministry.

In America, we really have known very little about kings and kingdoms, until recently, when we gradually started becoming an evil kingdom with an evil and ungodly king who suppresses the truth in unrighteousness. And, for those of us who are living in the invisible kingdom, living in the middle of worldly kingdom, it has become very apparent to us that the visible kingdom, ruled by Satan and his evil agents is becoming more and more wicked all the time and often seems to be spiraling out of control. In John 18:36, Jesus reminds us, "My kingdom is not of this world." 

Although we currently living in this present world, it can often be very difficult to navigate the complexities of embracing our true identity as the children of God, an identity that is deeply rooted in a kingdom that transcends this world that is detached from Truth of God, disconnected from a sense reality, and to make matters even worse, they’re create laws to normalize their insane behavior. I believe the world we're living in is so corrupt, so unbelievably evil, that God’s wrath has been unleashed upon the nations, allowing them to go their own way, bringing us to the point of utter chaos.

Even though Scripture clearly condemns all sin, more and more churches have become willing to compromise with Satan, rather than confront the moral evils of society with biblical Truth. My Bible says "You shall not murder." "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act." Pastors, of all people, had ought to know better than to affirm anything that goes against God's Word. Many who claim to be redeemed, who profess to be speaking for God are promoting a demonic agenda. Nobody seems to care anymore whether that which is preached is true or false, bad doctrine is tolerable, so long as it's not convicting and makes people feel better about their sin.

Many contemporary evangelist’s most influential preachers are failing to teach sound doctrine, drawing their theology from secular books to affirm damning gender identities, same sex relationships and marriages, in order to attract larger crowds and more diverse audiences, filled with reprobate minds that are eager to receive it. Sadly, the church today is willing to embrace everything today except for God-centered biblical preaching, which I hasten to say is the only thing that is relevant. It's deeply disheartening that so many professing Christians are oblivious to the Truth as Jesus proclaimed it. The church has inexcusably turned against the One True living God and the revelation of Scripture which they profess to believe and uphold. Professing to be wise, in their own eyes, arrogant pastors have reinterpreted the Scripture, perverting its true meaning to make it more palpable to a sinful society.

Biblical Christianity is not some feel good message to give you comfort in claiming Christ while you enjoy a Hell bound existence. Jesus is loving but He is certainly not tolerant of sin, He is gentle, meek and mild, but He is also confrontational. I believe that Jesus made this very clear in the way He dealt with the Jewish religious leaders, even pronouncing eight woes or curses them for their mishandling of the Word of God. Do not allow a distortion of the Truth to get in the way of your salvation. Read the Bible for yourself, Satan's kingdom of darkness can only hold onto it's power by one thing: Lies! That's what Satan does, it's who he is. In John 8:44, Jesus said "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." In Satan's kingdom of darkness, there no one is hated more than one who boldly speaks the Truth, it's the only power to destroy his lies.

Scripture is very clear, whatever is not of God, going beyond the clear boundaries that God has set in His Word is sin! Jesus loved sinners enough to tell them the Truth, calling them to repent and walk away from sinful behavior, He never affirmed their sinful lifestyle. We live in a society that claims a person’s sexual desires are simply a private matter, what people do in the privacy of their own homes in nobody's business. The fact that Scripture speaks clearly on the issue of sexual immorality should be enough for all Christians. How much more blind can you be than to completely overlook the distinctions between male and female?
A person who lacks integrity, who professes to believe one thing, while supporting another in Scripture is called a hypocrite. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells us, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other." In Romans 6, Paul says "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? " God has always desired the positive influence on his people.

Sexual perversion has become so commonplace, so completely out of control, that it now dominates our culture, there is no shame in their wicked campaign of self-gratification, no attempt to disguise their wretched, deviant sexual desires that they cannot satisfy. This is not just about homosexuality and same-sex marriage, this is about the greatest attempt in our nations history to completely annihilate the family. If you go back to the feminist movement, when contraceptives were first introduced , then need for self-restraint and self-control was eliminated, you could have sex with anybody, anywhere at anytime without the risk of becoming pregnant, if a child is conceived, you can just kill it, by having an abortion. 
We've come along way, not only can you have sex without children, children can be manufactured for those who normally wouldn't be able to have them. For example, two lesbians can have the fertilized egg from somebody else implanted in their womb and give birth to a child, without the need to have sex with a man. And, if you have a child and he/she is unhappy with the sex they're born, they can just change it, we've added the whole transgender movement. Blurring the clear distinction between male and female is just going to get worse and worse because Satan wants to completely obliterate traditional marriage and 
annihilate the nuclear family.  

These modern day abominations are nothing new, perversion was around even in ancient times. Leviticus 18:22  says "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." Deuteronomy 22:5, says, "A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God." And, in Deuteronomy 23:1, says "No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord." Homosexuality and transgenderism are not an alternate lifestyle, they are Satan's perversion of God's design. That's why you'll notice that Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6, that effeminate, nor homosexuals, among other sins, will inherit the kingdom of God. If God has suddenly changed His mind about sexual immorality as many churches in our fallen world insist, why are these vile perversions specifically addressed in the New Testament? In Romans 1:32, Paul assures us that God will not only judge those who practice these vile behaviors, but also those who give hearty approval to those who practice them. 

It is the responsibility of every pastor who steps into the pulpit, to preach the Word, to faithfully declare the Word with the authority of Scripture, to lead and protect the church, warning them of error and false teaching that is not consistent with the Word of God. Knowing what God says in His Word about sexual immorality, knowing that Jesus told the woman caught in the act of adultery, "Go and sin no more," I cannot fathom how any faithful preacher, can with good conscience, tell people God is suddenly ok with their sin. Yet, it's happening on an increasing regular basis at a very rapid rate, more and more pastors are compromising with the world to maintain their popularity.

Let's pray

Heavenly Father,

Father, we are so thankful for Your Word, make us not only people who know it, love it, believe it, but proclaim it in love with boldness and courage.
Lord, as we come together in fellowship with You, as well as with each other, we pray that the Holy Spirit would cleanse our hearts, and wash away the filth in our lives. We pray for anyone in our midst who does not really know the Lord Jesus Christ that they might come to know true faith in Him even today. For those of us who do know the Lord, I pray that we might examine ourselves and have the peace of knowing that all is right between You and us. Be with us today as we look to Your Word, for guidance and direction, may it speak to each of our hearts as the very voice that comes from You. For the glory of You, our God and Savior, we ask and pray these things in Christ's Name. 
Amen

Today's Message: Loving Like Christ


Open your Bibles with me, if you would and turn them to the Gospel of Luke chapter 6. Luke 6:31-36. I invite you to follow along with me as I read, to set the text in our minds, while we open up our hearts and listen for what the Spirit of God has to say to each of us today.

"Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 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. 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."

Let's look at verse 31, "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." When I was growing up, admittedly, that was some time ago, we knew this principal as the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This is really straightforward, it sums up the whole concept of loving your enemies, don't treat them they way they treat you, which is uniquely Christian. Show them the same love and respect you desire, even though they’re not showing it to you. Every other expression of this principal you find, is in the negative form, it's self protective, don’t do others what you don’t want them to do back. Sinful man only acts to insure his own welfare, kingdom love is no matter how someone is treating you, no what they’re doing to you, you love the way God loves. 

God loves His enemies with kindness and compassion, and warning before He enacts in righteous judgment.  It does matter how old you are or what your personality type is, we all must deal with people who mistreat us, speak evil about us or who want to do us harm, unfortunately, you can't always choose to avoid them, but we can choose how we respond to them. Paul summarizes this principle in Romans 12,, "Repay no one evil for evil ... If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."

Verse 32, takes this principal a bit further, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." Allow me to illustrate this principle, when Abraham Lincoln was running for president of the United States, there was a man who ran all around saying a lot of unkind things about him. After Abraham Lincoln was elected president, and the time came for him to choose a secretary of war, he decided to choose a man by the name of Edwin Stanton. When he informed his advisors of his decision, they said to him: "Mr. Lincoln, are you a fool? Do you know what Mr. Stanton has been saying about you? Have you not read all of the derogatory statements that he has said about you? Do you understand what he has tried to do?" Abraham Lincoln stood before his advisors and "Yes, I've read them,  I’ve even heard him myself. But I still find that he is the best man for the job." So, Mr. Stanton did become secretary of war.

On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending an evening performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre. When president Abraham Lincoln was pronounced on April 15, at 7:22 a.m, the Secretary of War, the very same Edwin Stanton stood at his bedside sobbing and made one of the greatest statements ever made about Abraham Lincoln and still remain as probably the most famous epitaphs in American history, he said, simply, "Now he belongs to the ages."

When the Bible uses the word sinner, it is the Greek word "hamartánō,"
a technical term for an unbeliever, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament it is used to refer to people who don’t belong to God and are outside the kingdom. God's people are to withhold from doing what is evil, doing what is right, even though we know it may never be reciprocated in return. Our Lord realizes the difficulty of maintaining the kingdom’s standards and therefore teaches us the secret to developing and maintaining them is faithful prayer. As followers of Christ, we have the promise that if we pray for anything in accordance with God’s will, which includes our developing righteous character, we will receive it. 

I would suggest that as God's people, we must be very careful to guard against self-seeking prayers, that fall outside the will of God, lead by our sinful desires and impulses. If we're asking to receive to fulfill our own selfish desire for personal gain, we can forget it. Therefore, I believe it is important to commit ourselves to studying God’s Word in order to discern God’s will. Praying continuously, with our whole heart in this way demonstrates that we desperately desire His righteousness, much the same way pray when we're facing a desperate health situation, financial crisis or in a battle with sin and the evil one. There is no in between, no middle ground, we either stand with God or against Him. While the decision is ours, the outcome of our choice belongs God.

Verse 33, "If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same." Because we have the confidence that God will meet our own needs, we can freely love others, giving sacrificially to do good, helping others to meet their needs. Sinners generally have a reciprocal kind of love for others, meaning they only do good to those who do good to them. If we are willing to live out His principals in obedience, we can trust that God will certainly meet our needs. I believe that faith is the pathway to receiving all of God’s good gifts, including our salvation! The author of Hebrews 11:6, tells us, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." I can certainly testify to God graciously meeting my needs, even exceeding anything I've generously given to help others in need. To love the way sinners love, do good the way sinners do good is proof of nothing, that's normal.

In verse 34, He says "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." He’s not talking about lending to someone who will never be able to repay you, but lending to someone with the expectation of being paid back. What credit to you is that, everyone should repay their debts. Deuteronomy 15, says, "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed." 

In verse 35, He summarizes these command "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." love your enemies, the way they are not used to being loved, you are to do good to others, expect nothing in return and unconditionally lend to those in need, without expecting to be paid back. Because in this fallen world that's not normal. And, if you do these  things, your reward will be great. Then, He says "And you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." If you live like this, He's not talking about an eternal reward that God is going to give you as an act of obedience, though that will be true. He's saying if you live like this, 
your reward will be that men are going to conclude that you are a child of the Most High God, because He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. People are going to notice that this kind of behavior is unnatural for men, and they will attribute it to God. If we're going to claim to be the children of God, we must learn to manifest the love of the One who is in us. God's standards are far too high for us to achieve, without Christ's righteousness, on our best day we're not capable, that's the point of His Sermon on the Mount.

That brings us to verse 36, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." If the Holy Spirit dwells within you, demonstrate that God's divine nature is in you before men by your ability to be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Jesus demonstrated that He was God’s Son by His loving His enemies, showing mercy and compassion to those in need, which are characteristics inherent to God's divine nature. God has pity on sinners, He is kind, merciful and long suffering,  withholding His righteous judgment, out of His own compassion nature, He grieves over the lost, and if you and I are truly living as Christ has commanded, that is how we need to be, as well.

May it be so..

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name

Amen





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