Enough Evidence To Convict?

Luke 6:27–36
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Pastor Randy Smith

As we’ve been studying the Gospel of Luke, we can’t miss the tension between the Pharisees and Jesus Christ. At this point we are still two years away from the cross, but things have already heated up to full intensity. We know how the controversy ends. They will finally have their opportunity to kill Jesus. But as He stands before all the religious leaders in a sham trial, they find nothing legitimate that warrants death. As a matter of fact, there is no evidence that He even committed a single sin and there was a lot of evidence He was the Messiah.

Now let’s put you on trial. Let’s pretend being a Christian is illegal. And you are on trial for being a Christian. Let’s also pretend you do not open your mouth, but all the people that know you (and don’t like you) are permitted to speak. Based on the way you act, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian?

The witnesses begin talking. They say you are kind to others, faithful to your spouse, attend church, provide for your children, work hard, give away your money, serve others, avoid foul language and don’t abuse alcohol. And the Judge, who happens to be impartial, says, “That’s all good, but there are hundreds of thousands of unbelievers that do all things. He says, “I am looking for traits that are unique for a believer if you expect a guilty sentence.”

So, what does a believer look like?

Salvation is God performing a miracle in your heart. It’s not about just adopting a new code to live by. It’s about Holy Spirit transformation. It’s about God creating a new person. It’s about becoming born again. It’s about thinking and acting completely different than you did before as an unbeliever.

In Luke chapter 6 we have a recorded sermon where Jesus tells us what His true followers will look like.

Last week, you will remember, we looked at the first seven verses which listed four Beatitudes (in verses 20-23) and a then four parallel negatives (in verses 24-26). We learned that Jesus, as He began this sermon, identified the heart of His true followers. They are seen in their blessedness, happiness, specifically as they or because they pursue a spiritual poverty (verse 20 – a humility, brokenness, an understand that that they offer nothing to God and deserve nothing from God, an appreciation for God’s unfathomable grace). True followers also hunger for God (verse 21 – a passionate desire to know God better and be like Him especially as it pertains to holiness). True followers also see things from God’s perspective (verse 21 – they grieved over the things that break God’s heart and delight in His pleasures, they mourn over their sin and seek to repent from it). And lastly, true followers, when they act this way give clear evidence that they have been internally transformed. The world will take notice and will most often persecute them for their steadfast commitment to Christ. Believers don’t seek persecution, but realize in persecution their reward is great in heaven (verses 22-23).

Now that is convicting stuff! But it’s hard to argue that a heart like this doesn’t please the Lord and a heart like this will bring us the greatest assurance of our salvation (verse 20), greatest satisfaction (verse 21), greatest joy (verse 21) and greatest reward (verse 23). That was the first seven verses from last week. Folks, we still have twenty-three verses to go in this sermon! Today we’ll cover verses 27-36 before we break for the Lord’s Table.

Take a look with me at the sermon outline I placed in your bulletin. As you can see there are two points, each followed by three subpoints. Let me explain.

In verses 27-28 there are three commands to do “good,” to “bless” and to “pray.” In verses 29-30 there are three more commands, all based in giving. Then in verse 31 there is a general statement which we know as the “Golden Rule.” Likewise in the second point there are three commands in verses 32-34 to “love,” to do “good,” and to “lend.” Three more similar commands in verse 35. And then again a general statement is recorded in the rest of verse 35 and verse 36 which I am calling the “God Command.” So that’s the structure.

Let’s take a look at these passages. Examine yourself on this Lord’s Table day. If you were charged as being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict?

The Golden Rule (verses 27–31)

Let’s get moving with the first point.

The first set of three imperatives basically revolves around the concept of doing good to those who mistreat us. This is the heart of the sermon. We are commanded in verses 27-28 to love our enemies, bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us.

I don’t need to convince you that this is clearly the opposite of the world’s belief. If someone mistreats you, you get them back. At a minimum, you write them out of your life – ignore them, avoid them, unfriend them. Do you see what these verses are calling for? It is to identify our enemies (this is in the context of being persecuted for Christ) and actively and aggressively seek to love them.

The Greek verb used for “love” in verse 27 is “agapao.” If you know any Greek, you’ve heard of the noun for “agape.” Agape love is not an emotional love, but an unconditional love, love that willingly seeks to do good to another. The call here is to respond to our enemies with a supernatural love that can only come from Christ and clearly demonstrates that we truly belong to Christ.

Why would Christ give us this command? Because this was His attitude toward us. The day I wrote this sermon I read in my morning devotional from 1 John 4. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10). Also, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). My Christian friends, you and I were enemies of God and Christ gave His life for us on the cross. How can we embrace that and not be that? How can we wish to show Christ in us and act like the unbeliever, contrary to the spirit of our Savior?

Love, bless and pray for your enemies. You want to be like Jesus? You want to stop evil from spreading? You want to turn your enemy into your friend? You want to see evidence of the Holy Spirit in you? You want to root out all bitterness in your heart? You want to put aside the defeating victim attitude? Then show the humility of Christ, take the moral high ground and, Romans 12:21, “Overcome evil with good.” Don’t ne natural. Be unnatural. It’s hard to hate someone when God gives you a supernatural love for that person.

Let’s stop for a moment. When is the last time you have loved, blessed or prayed for your personal, political or religious enemy?

Moving on, the second set of three commands found in verses 29-30 are similar and revolve around the fact of someone mistreating you. The world’s response? Get them back! Christ’s response? No retaliation to hurt them back, but rather a desire to bless them in return. And Jesus chose the insulting stuff for examples like someone taking away your coat or someone slapping you on the cheek.

Slapping on the cheek. I remember when I was a bouncer as an unbeliever that I also attempted to be a peacemaker as well. I always found it interesting that when two guys got into a fight they would often be best friends by the end of the evening. They’d be hanging out, buying each other drinks and even complimenting each other on the exchange of punches. “Wow, you have a pretty good right hook!” But it was a different story if someone got slapped in the face. That was too insulting. This is what Jesus is getting at here.

Now we need to understand these imperatives rightly. These are not rules for civil government. You cannot run a military or justice system this way! These are also not literal demands for every situation. If that were the case, I’ll be over to you house tonight and demand everything you own. If everyone took this literally, you’d have no clothes to wear by the end of next week! I also believe this does not rule our self-defense and wise living.

Yet I also believe that we have taken these injunctions so symbolically that they often carry little weight today. Bottom line is this: God’s people will be different than the world. We will not be like them in the continual pursuit of retaliation, fighting for our rights, defending our bruised ego. And on the other hand, we will be generous, compassionate and cognizant of the needs of others.

If you want one good summary statement of this look at verse 31. “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

You have heard of the “Golden Rule.” Rules like this have been floating around long before the time of Christ. There were some that advocated, “Balanced Reciprocity.” That is, do good to others so they might do good to you. Good for good. Treat others well because it will come back to benefit you. Karma. Give to get back. Then there was “Negative Reciprocity.” That is, do not treat others in a way you would not what them to treat you. We may tell our kids, “Would you like it if someone took your lunch money?” Or, “How would you feel if a person said those things about you?” Or, “Wouldn’t you be sad if you were the bus driver and kids acted that way?” Our Lord’s teaching in verse 31 goes beyond both of these. It’s a new imperative that was unheard of at the time, even in the teachings of Judaism. This command would have been bizarre to Luke’s Gentile readers.

Unlike the other two rules I mentioned, the “Golden Rule” is positive. This one expects no reward in return from other humans it serves. People are not business deals! Treat others in a way you want them to treat you. So it’s not, “Just don’t pick on that kid, but rather sit with him when he’s alone at the lunch table because that is what you would want if you were in his shoes.”

The God Rule (verses 32–36)

Let’s go to the second point, “The God Rule.”

Again three commands that each revolve around loving others (verse 32), doing good to others (verse 33) and lending to others (verse 34). Now, we would all agree that those three things are good and that we should all probably do more in these regards. But wait a minute; the teaching from our Savior is much deeper than that.

This is not saying love your spouse and children and friends. Our Lord takes that for granted. You can see He adds in verse 32, “For even sinners [unbelievers] love those who love them.” And in verse 33 if you do good to someone who already did good to you what is the big deal from a Christian perspective. Again, “Sinners do the same.” And verse 34, if you lend expecting return (and there are different ways that can be taken), very kind of you but spiritual speaking, so what, “Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.”

I think you get the point!

A key word is found in verse 32. It is translated “credit” in most translations. In the Greek, the word is “charis” which we normally translate “grace.” In other words, if you act no different than an unbeliever, where is evidence of God’s grace in your life and how are you like God demonstrating grace, giving to others what they do not deserve?

The next three imperatives are all seen in verse 35 and they are the positive parallel commands from the previous section in verses 32-34. “But [in contrast to the “sinner”] (verse 35) “love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return [literally, to “lose hope” of anything in it for you].” No strings attached to our good deeds. No selfish ulterior motives. The grace we have received from Christ first experiences and then goes through us to bless others. God’s is glorified.

Yet does that mean there is nothing in it for you? Absolutely not! In “God’s Command” we look not to others for reward, but we do look for a more substantial and eternal reward from God. Verse 35, do these things “expecting nothing in return and your reward will be great.”

The verse continues, “And you will be sons of the Most High.” You ask, “Does doing good make us God’s children?” Absolutely not! We are saved entirely by His grace. Yet when we become God’s children there will be evidence of Him working in our lives doing good. You ask, “How does He work in our lives?” By His amazing grace, He makes you like Himself to do good. You ask, “Why do I need to be so kind and gracious and generous and loving to all, even those I would deem my enemies?” Because, verse 35, “[God] Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” Therefore, verse 36, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

You see what Jesus did? He trapped you! In a good way of course, but He trapped you! You see, if these traits are not present in your life or you are currently disagreeing with this sermon, you are basically saying, I think the merciful way God acts is foolish and I want to be nothing like Him. And to that our Lord says you give absolutely no evidence to yourself or to a watching world of God’s grace. No evidenced you are a “son of the Most High.” No evidence you are a “chip off the block” so to speak.

Do we really understand God’s grace in Christ?

Do we really think we deserve God’s grace? Do we imagine we can pay God back for His grace? Do we think that we will be happier if we life selfish lives filled with unforgiveness, retaliation and bitterness? Do we believe we’ll be happier if we expect rewards from people, rather than rewards from God? Are we going to hear the commands of Christ to emulate Him and either directly or indirectly reject them?

So I ask, based on this sermon, is there enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian?