Difficulties Week 4

“Love Them?”

GK Chesterton
“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”

Luke 6:32 The question Jesus has for you…

How do we love the unlovable? Jesus says…’What credit is it for you to love the ones who love you

3 areas of unlovable people I want to focus in on today.

1. Loving your enemies Matt 5:43- Luke 6:35-
Pro 25:21-23 Talk about this passage

When Narvaez, the Spanish patriot, lay dying, his father-confessor asked him whether he had forgiven all his enemies. Narvaez looked astonished and said, "Father, I have no enemies, I have shot them all."
How:
• Apply the Gospel, we were enemies of Jesus and He died for us.
• Understand that they need the Gospel (if a Christian they need to apply the Gospel) Pray
• Don’t seek revenge, or have a vengeful spirit 1 Peter 3:8-10

2. Loving those that are hard to love. annoying, clingy, disobedient, spiteful, needy or what we perceive as a lower class then us.

Tim Keller: It is difficult to love someone who is emotionally a wreck. There is no way to completely love that person and stay emotionally intact yourself.

Remember two weeks ago we talked about how there is a cost to following Jesus. This would be one of those times that it cost a lot to pursue people who are a wreck

I would venture to say the main reason we have a hard time loving these people is because it inconveniences us

How:
• Apply the Gospel, It cost Jesus so much, don’t for a minute think that you are not unlovable…but God still loves you Romans 5:8

• Have compassion Matt9:36 Jesus “moved with compassion”
Most of the time people act in certain ways because they have certain issues that need to be dealt with. As a Christian, Christ is calling us to have compassion on these people. How that looks for each situation will be different.

• Attitude Phil 2:5
(For each one) There is always a deep rooted need. When we are only thinking of ourselves and our own personal comfort we forget that a needy annoying person had a deep rooted need and maybe God has called us to assist in meeting that need.

• Patience Col 3:12 Put on


3. Loving the oppressed

It is very easy for us to turn a blind eye to the fact that there are people hurting in this world and they need love that only Jesus can give but they don’t have anyone to display that love to them.

Zechariah 7:8-10 We need to execute justice and help the oppressed, the consequence is God is displeased.

-Some only care about justice when it affects them.
A socialist once came to see Andrew Carnegie and soon was railing against the injustice of Carnegie having so much money. In his view, wealth was meant to be divided equally. Carnegie asked his secretary for an assessment of everything he owned and at the same time looked up the figures on world population. He did a little arithmetic on a pad and then said to his secretary. "Give this gentleman l6 cents. That's his share of my wealth."
-Many times we become paralyzed because we either think problems are too large or that we cannot make a difference or we don’t know what to do.

What do we need to do? Isaiah 1:17
How do we find these things out?
• Spiritual Community- (-Community Groups When we are in groups like this we get to know what the needs of the people are in our spiritual community (Church) and the local community around us. We designed the Community Group for that reason Community. If Bible study happens great, but they are not necessarily Bible studies they are for you to be in community with one another for prayer discussion and meeting one another’s needs.) Gal 6:10

• Local Community-Being in-tune with the community around you, we don’t just care about our church and spiritual community but the community around us. Because they need the Gospel -Grace Initiatives (Kara Gerisi)
If every Christian in their community did this the Gospel would be more of a presence.


• Worldwide-Resources for Gospel centered ministries world wide. We don’t just meet physical needs we need to meet spiritual as well.

What is out there for you to get involved in? Post things on the 5 site
-Fathers Heart October 9th
-Salvation Army human trafficking
-World vision or Compassion International Sponsor a Child

We don’t do these things because the people will appreciate it. People do appreciate it but don’t be deflated when they don’t. If your motive is for thanks and praise, when you don’t get it you become bitter.

Isaiah 58 Is speaking of those who do everything right as far as worship and praise but ignore justice. God tells us when we help the poor and those who are in need of justice our light goes forth (58:9) and the result of that is beauty.

Our hearts have to be convicted to do it. And then our testimony or light for Jesus will go forth.