In this episode we look at the central teaching of Jesus and that God's love is unconditional. Which means it is for absolutely everyone, the good and the bad. He calls us to truly be His children and mirror the same practice of loving everyone - even our enemies. This teaching was revolutionary then and is still today. May God give us the ability to understand and imagine how He sees us so this can be evident in our lives as well.
SHOW NOTES
6. Unconditional Love (5:43-48)
Matthew 5:43 (NIV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your
enemy.’”
“Love your neighbour” is taught in Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.”
“Hate your enemy” is taught in many places where the Israelites are told to go to war, never to intermarry and to exterminate their enemies. Here is one example.
Joshua 6:17-21 NLT Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies. 18 “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. 19 Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the LORD and must be brought into his treasury.” 20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21 They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
Jesus continues,
Matthew 5:43 NIV "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48 (Message)43–47 "You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.48 "In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Nowlive like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."
This is the dream that is hidden in every human heart. We awaken to it as out of a nightmare when we are kissed by the knight in shining armour who comes from the resurrection 2000 years ago. Did John Lennon know he was God’s messenger when he wrote the following?
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people Livin' for today
Ah
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
You
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Lennon must have had a very bad experience with religion. This is sad but his song is a secular person’s desire for heaven now and for eternity. In this way this beautiful melody speaks to all our imaginations. We can never live what we cannot imagine.
Edmund Hilary dreamed he could climb Everest, and he did. David Livingstone believed he could bring the gospel to Africa and destroy the slave trade, and he did. I once was the pastor of two congregations in a large city in South Africa. One was an affluent upper-class congregation of professionals, the other a blue collar congregation of 8 am to 5 pm workers. I had an idea. Why not have one group of young people drawn from both congregations? It was a disaster. The young professionals were imagining going to university and being millionaires by the time they were 30 years of age. The others were thinking of leaving school early to get a job. The dreams, the imaginations of the two groups were as different as chalk and cheese.
Jesus blows our mundane minds away with his teaching by sharing his vision of the world as it could be, as it eventually will be.
And we arrive at that future
Out of the mind are the actions of life.
You cannot watch the soaps or pornography and not eventually act it out!
Life starts with the vision given us by our parents
Life continues with the vision given us by significant people in our lives
We start living when we have our own vision, and our own dreams.
When our dreams and visions stop we are dead emotionally and spiritually.
Perhaps someone listening or reading is "dead man walking!
"Walking, but wounded, weary, dreamless and lifeless.
This deadness and dreamless plays out in:depression, drugs, work-a-holism, cynicism, judgmentalism
The wisdom teachers are clear:
Prov 29:18 (KJV) “Where there is no vision, the people perish:"
Proverbs 29:18 (NIV) “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
Jesus built dreams for people
He inspired them with daring thoughts
He helped them stretch far beyond what they were used to.
Imagine saying to a man who had been blind from birth, "Do you want to see?" (John 9)
Imagine saying to a successful politician, "You must be born again!" (John 3)
Everything about you has to change
You have to start your dreaming over!
Imagine saying to a immigrant woman,"
I can you give you new thinking (water) so that you will never think badly again of yourself!" (John 4)
Imagine saying to a man dead for four days: "Lazarus, come forth!" (John 11:11)
What about seeing a challenged person who asks you for a few dollars to spend at Tim Hortons
Would you have the imagination to say,
"Toonies and Loonies I do not have,
but in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
throw away your crutches and praise God!" (Acts 3)
This is a great promise to those who feel deadness this morning! Jesus can resurrect your dreams.
Not in the future.
What stops our imagination? It is indulging selfishness at the expense of great thoughts and actions.
Sin is an incurable virus. It cannot be cured only repented of.
It is busy destroying you bit by bit. Eventually your body will die, your emotions wither but if you will repent your faith can grow with each passing day.
We must be people of integrity. We must face our own sinfulness head on by God’s grace.
We are wicked and deceitful but God can change it all. Imagine if it was changed
Is God the most significant person in your life?
If He is He can change your vision of yourself and others.
Imagine being able to respond with grace and kindness under all circumstances!
"He drew a circle that shut me out — heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win: we drew a circle that took him in.
"Romans 4:13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that hewould be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith (divineimagination).
Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to thepromise (faith/divine imagination).
Galatians 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope ofeternal life.
Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Hebrews 6:17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith (divine imagination) he condemned the world and became heir ofthe righteousness that comes by faith.
Hebrews 11:9 By faith (divine imagination) he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith (divine imagination) and to inherit the kingdom he promisedthose who love him?
1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
(Faith is overcoming the doubts and tapes we have about ourselves and God)
Imagine you got up every morning fully conscious that you are God’s precious child
A prince or a princess of the realm
Someone who is to minister with God to the infinite universe for timeless eternity
You would see people differently?
Come now, imagine with me! What will you be in ten years?
What will you be in twenty years? What will you be in thirty years?
What will you be in 1000 years? (25 years old, full of energy, full of God’s affirmation for you!)
Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus or in awe of you be still?
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing "Hallelujah?" Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine. I can only imagine.
I Can Only Imagine~Bart Millard
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