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LOVE’S
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT Introduction: We all want to be liked and we generally try to be likable. Most of us do sincerely try to get along with others. Unfortunately, there are those times when people decide that they really don't like us. Even though we have made an attempt to be kind to them they resolve to be hostile towards us. This is the reality of life. It can be very disappointing and it can also hurt. Who knows why someone chooses to be our enemy? How do you respond to someone that dislikes you? The tendency is to strike back. But what does this way of retaliating at people for their behavior really produce? It makes the hostile person more hostile, and leaves us feeling worse instead of better. Jesus said that there was a better way. As a matter of fact, He gives us a radical solution to this ancient problem. Love him! You have got to be kidding! How can we be expected to love those who are treating us harshly and unfairly? Surely, no one could do that, or would even want to. Even Christians have their limits, don't they?" There is no doubt that Christians do have limits. But when it comes to love, the limits far exceed what we may think. The confusion comes when we adopt the thinking of the world. The world's way is to return evil for evil. Remember, the only problem with "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is that everyone would soon be blind and toothless. How do you deal with your enemies? I. A TWISTED BELIEF (V.43) Unfortunately, there is a tendency even with Christians to follow the way of the world. Those in the world would tell you that common sense dictates that you love those who love you and hate those who hate you. And this is precisely where the religious leaders of Jesus' day had come. They had a twisted belief which they thought was based on scripture. A An Honest Appraisal Jesus is referring to the Rabbinic teaching which was supposedly based on Scripture. (Lev 19:18) "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." · This teaching is clear enough. The problem was that over time it had become twisted. The religious leaders had distorted the truth in order to accommodate themselves. They had made what God said more acceptable to the common sense of the day. They had both taken away from and added to the Scripture. · Leviticus 19:18 it qualifies how we are to love our neighbors. It says there that you are to love them "as yourself." This ruled out any kind of superficial and casual application of the word love. To love someone else as you love yourself is to take great care in loving them. We all certainly take great care in loving ourselves. This phrase, however, was conveniently left out B. A Higher Standard They also added to the text of scripture by saying that you were to hate your enemy. This was convenient because it fit nicely with the common sense thinking of the day. Unfortunately, it wasn't what God had intended at all. Even the context of Leviticus 19:18 indicates that. We are told there that we are not to "take vengeance, nor bear any grudge." What we have illustrated in the teaching of the religious leaders is a twisting of scripture to accommodate our sinful desires. And to this mentality Jesus speaks a powerful and radical word that is transforming in its impact. II. A TRANSFORMED BEHAVIOR (VV.44-48) Examining this passage of Scripture will reveal the transformed behavior that Jesus is after in each of us. The point is that Jesus does not want us to act like the world. He wants us to manifest a behavior that is based upon a supernatural principle of divine life. He desires that we live above the level of mediocrity by the power of His Spirit. He desires for us to live a life that in our own strength we cannot live. The first thing He says to us is that you should A. Live A Heavenly Example (vv.44-45) · Love your enemies. This is a powerful and radical teaching about the inclusiveness of love. The kind of love that Jesus advocates even embraces our enemies. This must have seemed like an impossibility. How could anyone love his or her enemy? Enemies don't evoke love in anyone. Jesus, however, wanted to make a point that He considered our neighbor to include our enemies. In other words, no one is outside the scope of our love. Or no one should be. We are called to manifest love to all people. The love of which Jesus speaks is a particular kind of love. It is agape, the love of God. It is the love that we receive from God and give out to the world. It is the love empowered by God. It is not emotion, though it may involve emotion. It is love in action. It is the love that seeks the highest welfare of another. It is the love that manifests itself in deeds. This is how we are to love our enemies. We are to love them by treating them in a loving way. Next, Jesus tells us to · Pray for those who persecute you. He is not saying that we should pray for them to be struck by lightning or that a house should fall on them. Rather, He is saying that we should pray on their behalf to God. We should pray that God would begin to act in their lives. We should pray that they would be blessed by God, not to continue being our enemies but to see the truth and summit to God. This prayer does at least two things. o First, it impacts them and their situation. Prayer can change things and people. When we pray for our enemies we are doing good to them. We are making a difference in their lives. o Second, prayer changes us. When we pray for our enemies, we are engaging in a Godlike work. We are interceding for them as Christ intercedes for us. We are beginning to see them through Christ's eyes. Prayer causes our hearts to reach out in compassionate love for others. Perhaps this is why Jesus encouraged us to pray for our enemies. Jesus goes on to tell us that if we behave in this way · We will be identifying ourselves as His children. (Matthew 5:45) How do we show the watching world that we are truly children of God? It is shown through our love and concern. We do not love others in order to earn salvation. Rather, because we are saved, we love others. We reveal who we are by what we do. And as children of God, we must love people. Are you manifesting your identity as a child of God? We should show this impartial love because God shows impartial love. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. The point is that God blesses everyone. He doesn't just bless those who love Him. He sends His blessing without regard to whether the one receiving the blessing deserves it.
B.
Live On A Higher
Level
(vv.46-47) We are not called to live on the same level as the world. We are called to live on a level that is not only higher, but impossible. The point of what Jesus is saying is that we must live by the power of God. He is asking us to do things that in our own strength we cannot do. The only possible way to truly love our enemies is to live by the power of God. He is calling us to submit our weaknesses to Him and allow Him to pour His strength into us. When we are weak then He is strong. He is calling us to be in the world but not of the world. Anyone can live in a belligerent, spiteful, revengeful way. It takes a child of God to live above the level of this mediocrity and walk by the power of the Spirit. Finally, He tells us to be C. Live Like Our Heavenly Father (v.48) The constant call to the Christian is to be like God. It is God's purpose to conform each one of us to the image of Jesus Christ. God is calling us to surrender our lives so that He can mold us into a Christ-like person. This word for perfect means "mature". It means to reach a stage of completion. While it is true that none of us will ever be perfect in this life, this does not diminish the force of Jesus' word. He is calling us to be perfect. How can this be? How can He ask us to be perfect when He knows that we can't be perfect? He calls us to be perfect because perfection is our standard. It must be. Imperfection can never be the standard for any believer. Our standard is God Himself. We must never judge ourselves by any other standard. When we do, we end up living far below what God has intended for us. While you may not hit perfection, I can guarantee you that if you shoot for imperfection you will always hit it. So, while we may never be perfect in this life, our standard can never be imperfection. Our standard, our desire, is to be like Jesus. He wants us to love with the kind of love He has. When we see that kind of love, it makes us want to be someone who loves like that. Conclusion: (Illus: It was the day after Christmas and Mr. Greene parked his car to pick up the morning paper. He noticed a dirty, poorly dressed boy looking at his car. Seeing the boy eyeing the car, he reminded himself to be quick or he might be missing a hubcap when he returned. He came out of the store with his paper under his arm and just as he opened the door to the car, the boy asked "Mister, how much would a new car like that cost?" Mr. Greene responded, "I really don't know; my brother gave me this car as a gift." The ragged little boy looked unbelievingly at the car with a look of wonder in his eyes, and said something unexpected. He didn't say "Gee, I wish I had a brother like that." He said, "Gee, I wish I could be a brother like that.") Our call is to be people who manifest the nature of the God we serve - it is a call to be like Jesus.
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