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| Rev. Canon George Sinclair |
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(Podcast of CFRA broadcast on Sunday, March 3rd,
2013)
http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/11662/good_news_042_mar3.mp3
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Broadcast Notes:
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(Abridged notes of a Sermon on LUKE 6: 20–36, are below; full broadcast can be heard through the link, above.)
'To God alone the glory!'
Luke 6: 20-36 (ESVUK)
The Beatitudes
20 And he
lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who
are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people
hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on
account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice
in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so
their fathers did to the prophets.
Jesus Pronounces Woes
24 “But woe to you who
are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are
full now, for you shall be hungry.
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and
weep.
26 “Woe to you, when all
people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who
hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who
abuse you. 29 To
one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes
away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[a] either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from
one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that
others would do to you, do so to them.
32 “If you love those who
love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love
them. 33 And
if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For
even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect
to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get
back the same amount. 35 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 is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
36 Be merciful, even as
your Father is merciful.
Footnotes:
a.
Luke 6:29 Greek chiton, a long garment
worn under the cloak next to the skin
A thought experiment to help us
understand the Bible text.
A key spiritual principle:
receiving grace and mercy from Jesus makes great sacrifices for Jesus
reasonable and necessary!
Note, if you read before Luke
6:20, you will see that Jesus is speaking to His disciples.
Is Jesus naive about the evil
people do?
Look at Luke 6:11 and following.
Jesus is not naive.
Another key spiritual principle:
I need to read Jesus' ethical teaching remembering that Jesus knew Judas would
betray Him.
Judas is proof that Jesus lived a
sinless life!
At the heart of the Gospel is
that Jesus will die a substitutionary death. He takes my doom upon Him and He
offers me His destiny.
The Bible is an outline of
sanity.
Another key spiritual principle:
if Jesus is my Saviour and my Lord, who defines my response to situations?
Jesus defines my situations - not
me, not my enemy either.
Forgiveness is not about
forgetting. It is an act of healing where we can, in freedom, choose something
other than fight or flight.
Jesus wants us to surrender to
Him.
We have been reading the text
upside down? Why do we only read as if we are victims? Why do we not see
ourselves as ones who do wrong.
We are not always guiltless.
Another key spiritual principle:
Jesus' death upon the cross is God's kind, merciful and unsurpassingly generous
provision for my vast need.
Prayer:
Father, Pour out your Holy Spirit to all who listen
today and turn our hearts to Jesus.
Rev. Canon George Sinclair
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To listen to the above broadcast, click
on the following link:
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