“The Goal of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:37-38)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/25/2026 12:37 PM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus: “The Goal of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:37-38

            Message of the verses:  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.  Give, and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

            We come to the end of this section we have been looking at through the lens of John MacArthur’s commentary, and actually only have one more chapter in MacArthur’s commentary to finish up chapter six in Luke’s gospel.  I have to say that there is much in this sixth chapter to look at, and it ends with this section which is very much like the Sermon on the Mount seen in Matthew chapters 5-7.  What we have here is just a small portion of that sermon Jesus gave.

            Now Christ closed this section of His sermon by giving four commands, two negative and two positive that, if obeyed, will lead to the ultimate purpose of loving others with kingdom love.

            Let us now look at the first command, do not judge, and you will not be judged, does not preclude assessing a person’s spiritual condition and confronting their sin.  MacArthur then has the following verses in reference to this section:  (cf. 6:42-45; 17:3; Matt. 7:6; 1 Cor. 5:5, 11-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:2; James 5:20; 2 John 10).”

(cf. 6:42-45; 17:3; Matt. 7:6; 1 Cor. 5:5, 11-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:2; James 5:20; 2 John 10).”

“42  How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. 43  "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44  for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45  The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

“3  Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,”

“6  "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”

“5  you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

“11  But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12  For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13  God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

“20  As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”

“2  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

“20  let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

“10 ¶  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting,”

“In fact, Christians are commanded to be discerning, to be ‘shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves’ (Matt. 10:16; Cf. Col. 4:5).

(Cf. Col. 4:5)

“5 ¶  Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”

“(I discuss the importance of discernment in the church in my book Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern  [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1994.)  What this command does forbid is harsh, critical, compassionless, vengeful condemnation of one’s enemies as if one was vested with final judgment power (see the discussion of v. 28 above.).

            I think that I will save the rest of this section for this evening’s SD.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  This section is something that I desire for the Holy Spirit to work on in my life, as sometimes I am quick to judgment, but need to allow the Lord to handle things as it will then be perfect.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to do the things in the way that He wants them done in the treatment of my wife in dealing with her cancer.

7/25/2026 1:21 PM

"The Benefits of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:35-36)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/24/2026 7:43 PM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  "The Benefits of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:35-36

            Message of the verses:  “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 Himself  is kind to ungrateful and evil men.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

            It seems to me that this possibility could be the heart of this section as which as we stated is a shorter part of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.  If we look at what Christ did, He certainly loved His enemies because He took their place on the cross, dying for their sins.

            A quick mention on why there was no SD for this morning.  My wife, who is on hospice is battling cancer and had to have a procedure that will make her battle easier.  Many people were praying for this procedure to go well and the Lord honored those prayers in a wonderful way, as the procedure went well, and the entire day was certainly a blessing from the Lord.  This procedure will only help her to be more comfortable in her battle with cancer, but we are praying that the Lord will sustain our whole family as they are certainly all involved in helping their grandmother, grandfather, including our children and seven grandchildren, they even gave up their vacation to continue their help for us.

            John MacArthur wrote “In a point-by-point contrast to the selfish, quid pro quo love of unbelievers described above, Jesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies, not merely those who love them, do good to all, not only those who do good to them, and lend with no strings attached, expecting nothing in return.  Such love is neither natural nor normal by human standards, but the benefit of loving that easy, Jesus promised, is that their reward will be great.

            “The reward in view here is not the eternal, heavenly reward mentioned in 6:23, but one in the world of men.”  “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.”  “When Christians love with the unconditional, supernatural love God puts in their hearts (Rom. 5:5), sinners will be astounded.” “5  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  “This is a love that is foreign to their experience, and shows that those who manifest it are sons of the Most High (a name used fifty times of God that emphasizes His sovereignty).  It validates the gospel’s claim to have the power to supernaturally transform those who believe it.

            “Believers can ‘adorn the doctrine of God’ (Titus  2:10) and be imitators of Him (Eph. 5:1) by showing kindness to others, for He himself is kind to ungrateful (2 Tim. 3:2) and evil men (Rom. 3:10; 2 Tim. 3:13).”

(Titus  2:10)

“10  not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”

(Eph. 5:1)

“1 ¶  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

(2 Tim. 3:2)

“2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,”

(Rom. 3:10; 2 Tim. 3:13)

10  as it is written,: "None is righteous, no, not one;”

“13  while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

“In common grace of God gives sinners what they do not deserve; He ‘causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous’ (Matt. 5:45; cf. Ps. 145:15-17).”

(cf. Ps. 145:15-17).

“15  The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16  You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17  The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.”

“Christ’s disciples also demonstrated kingdom love when they are merciful, just as their Father is merciful.  Mercy is the flip side of kindness.  God’s mercy causes Him to withhold the judgment that sinners deserve.  He is ‘patient…not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance’ (2 Peter 3:9).  But those who spurn His mercy and ignore His kindness (Rom. 2:4) by refusing to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ in humble faith will face eternal damnation (John 3:36).”

(Rom. 2:4)

“4  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

(John 3:36)

“36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

“When believers love like God does, demonstrating kindness and mercy, they give evidence to the watching world that He is their Father.”

7/24/2026 8:35 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Essence of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:32-34)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2026 3:20 PM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  “The Essence of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:32-34

            Message of the verses:  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  Fore even sinners do the same.  If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.”

            It seems to me as I go through these verses that the Lord is opening the meaning of them to me, and I can say that the meaning of them is different than what I formally thought it was, and that means to me that the Lord is stepping on my toes.

            MacArthur writes that “The transcendent, supernatural quality of kingdom love becomes most evident when contrasted with the love of the unregenerate.  Hamartoloi (sinners) refers to unbelievers, those outside of the kingdom of God (cf. Matt. 26:45; Mark 2:16; Luke 15:7; 18:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 Tim. 1:15).  Their love is reciprocal; they love those who love them.

(cf. Matt. 26:45; Mark 2:16; Luke 15:7; 18:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 Tim. 1:15)

“45  Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”

“16  And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

“7  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

“13  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”

“8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“15  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of

full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

            “But the love Jesus’ disciples are to exhibit is very different from that of the lost world.  If you love those who love you, Jesus told them, what credit is that to you?  Such love is indistinguishable from that of the unregenerate.  Even sinners—including tax collectors, the dregs of Jewish society (Matt. 5:46)—love those who love them.”

(Matt. 5:46)

“46  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

“Similarly, to do good those who do good to you brings no credit, for again, even sinners do the same.  Such a self-serving attitude allows others’ goodness to limit one’s own.  It also opens the door for people to justify seeking vengeance of those who fail to do good to them.  Finally, Jesus asked, If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.  The Lord is not speaking here of lending to someone who will never repay the loan (the word amount is not in the Greek text), since Scripture teaches that everyone should pay his debts (cf. Rom. 13:8).”

(cf. Rom. 13:8)

“8  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

“His point is that lending to people to create an obligation, such as expecting that they will in t ruth lend to you, is another example of the reciprocal, self-serving love of the unregenerate.

            “Merely to love like sinners do is not gospel witness; that kind of love will not convince anyone that the person manifesting it belongs to God’s kingdom.  It gives no evidence of a regenerated, transformed life.  But the supernatural love of God demonstrated in the lives of believers is a powerful apologetic for the truth of the gospel.

7/23/2026 3:46 PM

The Principle of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:31)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2026 9:20 AM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  The Principle of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 6:31

            Message of the verse:  “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

            The first thing that I want to say is that I had planned to do this section in last night’s SD, but my family came over to rearrange our family room, which is where my wife has been sleeping because of her cancer, in order to put a bed in this room, and so it was pretty much a late night for us, and very tiring for all of us.

            John MacArthur writes that “visions of this, the so-called Golden Rule, existed in the rabbinic writings, Greek philosophy, and in Hinduism and Buddhism.  Those for-mutations, however, cast the rule in a negative sense; they advocate not doing to others what you would not want them to do to you.  The Greek philosopher Isocrates wrote, ‘Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you’ (Nicocles, 3.60). In his Analects, Confucius counseled, ‘Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself’ (XV.24).  The apocryphal book of Tobit commands, ‘Do that to no man which thou hatest’ (4:15).  The famous Jewish rabbi Hillel summed up the Torah in the statement, ‘What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor’ (Talmud; Shabbat 31:a).

            “There is a subtle but significant difference in the way the Lord phrased this principle.  The negative versions of the Golden Rule are the epitome of human ethics.  Yet they are little more than self-serving expressions of self-love, concerned primarily with obtaining good treatment for oneself in return.  Jesus, however, calls for selfless love, love that focuses solely on the well-being of its object.  The love He commands seeks to treat others the way it would want to be treated by them—even if they do not love that way in return.  That is how God loves, and that supernatural love is impossible on the human level.  Only Christians are capable of it, ‘because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Rom. 5:5).”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today: I totally agree with MacArthur when he says that humanly speaking we cannot love others this way.  However through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us we can.  The greatest example of this comes from the Lord Jesus Christ who came to earth to become a man and then take our place on the cross as He became sin for us so that we can receive His righteousness.  There is no greater love than what He did for us on the cross.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Through the work of the Holy Spirit I desire to love my wife unconditionally as I care for her through these very difficult days she is suffering with cancer that is ravaging her body at this time.  Cancer is a result of the fall that is seen in the third chapter of Genesis, and it is a terrible disease that I truly hate, but trust the Lord to use this for His glory and our good.

7/23/2026 10:04 AM

PT-2 “The Reaction to Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:29-30)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/22/2026 9:50 AM

My Worship Time                                                 Focus: PT-2 “The Reaction to Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:29-30

            Message of the verses:  “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.  Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”

            I will quote the first paragraph from MacArthur’s commentary in order to set the stage for what we will look at this morning:  “Kingdom love is marked not only by how it acts toward others, but also by how it reacts to what others do.  Jesus gave four illustrations of how to respond properly to ill treatment from the children of Satan.”  I looked at the first illustration in last evening’s SD, and will look at the next three in this morning’s SD.

            MacArthur writes “The second illustration is similar to the first one.  Whoever takes away your coat (whether by theft or legal action [cf. Matt. 5:40]),”  “40  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” We must remember that what Jesus taught in Matthew 5-7, The Sermon on the Mount, is being taught in a abbreviated form in this sixth chapter of Luke.  “Jesus said, do not withhold your shirt from him either.  Many people owned only one coat, or cloak, which also served as a blanket when they slept.  Because of that, the Mosaic law required that any coat taken as a pledge had to be returned before sunset (Ex. 22:26; Deut. 24:13).”

(Ex. 22:26; Deut. 24:13)

“26  If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down,”

“13  You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.”

“To keep a person’s cloak would constitute serious abuse.  But when that happens, Christ’s disciples are not to retaliate, but rather to continue to lovingly minister to those who persecute them—even if that results in losing their shirt (Inner garment) as well.

            “The third illustration, being willing to give to everyone who asks of you, takes place in the context of borrowing and lending (cf. v. 34; Matt. 5:42).”

(cf. v. 34; Matt. 5:42)

“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.”

“42  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

“The assumption is that the person has a legitimate need, since Scripture condemns laziness and indolence (cf. Prov. 6:6-12; 20:4; 24:30-34; 2 Thess. 3:10).”

(cf. Prov. 6:6-12; 20:4; 24:30-34; 2 Thess. 3:10)

“6 ¶  Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7  Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8  she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9  How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.  12 ¶  A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech,”

“4 ¶  The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”

“30 ¶  I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31  and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32  Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 33  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

“10  For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

“That a person may take advantage of a Christian’s generosity and not repay the loan should not keep the believer from graciously, lovingly meeting the need.

            “The final illustration, when someone takes away what is yours, envisions a situation where someone actually robs a believer.  Even in a case of outright theft, Christians are not to descend to retaliation, but to continue showing love and not demand the stolen item back.  As R. C. H. Lenske notes, ‘The disciple loses less by letting his things be taken wrongfully then he would by with a selfish heart clamoring to have them returned” (The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1946], 364).

            “No matter what the circumstances, kingdom love does not seek revenge (Prov. 24:29; Rom. 12:17, 19) when wronged.”

(Prov. 24:29; Rom. 12:17, 19)

“29  Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.’”

“17  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”

“19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

“Christ’s true disciples will follow His example, who ‘while being reviled, He did not revive in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously’ (1 Peter 2:23).”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Let me just say that this section has stepped on my spiritual toes, as it came at the right time in my life.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to have my wife get a much needed procedure to help her endure her cancer better.

7/22/2026 10:33 AM

 

 

 

PT-1 “The Reaction to Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:29-30)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/21/2026 9:38 PM

My Worship Time                                                 Focus: PT-1 “The Reaction to Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:29-30

            Message of the verses:  “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.  Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”

            John MacArthur’s first sentence in this section states “Kingdom love is marked not only by how it acts toward others, but also by how it reacts to what others do.  Jesus gave four illustrations how to respond properly to ill treatment from the children of Satan.”  I am not really sure how far that I will get with this section this evening, but from this introduction it seems that there will be some good stopping places as it is made up of four illustrations on how we are to respond in the proper way to ill treatment from the children of Satan.

            He goes on to write “The command, whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also, does not preclude the self-defense mechanisms God has provided for self-preservation.  Jesus was not forbidding His followers to defend themselves if they were dangerously attacked.  In Luke 22:36 He instructed the apostles to buy a sword for protection if they did not have one.”  “36  He said to them, "But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”  I am happy that MacArthur is explaining this section because it has always been troublesome to me.  “Governments are in place to protect their citizens with swords, and prevent evil action and anarchy (cf. Rom. 13:3-4), and Luke 3:14, where John the Baptist did not forbid men to be soldiers, but told them not to abuse their authority).”

(cf. Rom. 13:3-4), and Luke 3:14)

“3  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4  for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

“14  Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’”

“When the disciples were put out of the synagogues, as Jesus warned would happen (John 16:2), they would often be beaten (as Paul was five times [2 Cor. 11:24]) or slapped across the face.”

(John 16:2)

“2  They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.”

(2 Cor. 11:24)

“24  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.”

“When dishonored with such insults and unable to defend themselves, they were not to retaliate, but to accept that mistreatment and continue to love their oppressors.

            “Jesus demonstrated the proper response to being unjustly humiliated during His trial before the high priest.  When one of the officers struck Him (John 18:22), He did not turn His head and ask to be struck again.”

(John 18:22)

22  When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?””  The truth is that Jesus is the High Priest.

“But neither did He lash out in anger and revenge at His mistreatment.  Instead, He calmly pointed out the injustice of the act (v. 23).”

(v. 23)

“23  Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”’

“To turn the other cheek is, like Jesus did, to accept hostility and ill treatment without hatred or retaliation, but to show love in return.”

This is where I will end this SD for this evening, and Lord willing I will look at the nest three illustrations in tomorrow morning’s SD.

            My wife has to have a procedure on Friday morning, and because of her illness it will take a lot out of her. Please pray this will be successful so that she can have relief from a difficult problem.

7/21/2026 10:51 PM

PT-2 “The Commands of Kingdom Love” (Luke 6:27-28)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/21/2026 8:48 AM

My Worship Time                                             Focus: PT-2 “The Commands of Kingdom Love”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:27-28

            Message of the verses:  “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

            I want to continue looking at these verses in this morning’s SD.

            I begin with a quotation from John MacArthur’s commentary: “Paradoxically, love and hate are linked in connection with the gospel.  The Lord’s command to the apostles in John 15:17, ‘This I command you, that you love one another’ was followed immediately by a warning that the world would hate them (vv. 18-19).”  “18 ¶  "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”  “Since sinners love darkness rather than light (John 3:19), and believers are children of the light (Eph. 5:8), who present Jesus Christ as the light of the world (John 8:12), they can expect to be hated by the world.”

(John 3:19)

“19  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

(Eph. 5:8)

“8  for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”

(John 8:12)

“12 ¶  Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

            “Surprisingly, the most intense hatred always comes from religious people.  Nothing is more precious to religious sinners than the illusion of their virtue and lofty position before God.  They in effect erect their own personal tower of Babel, a monument to their own supposed piosity.  But the gospel strips away sinners’ religious veneer of self-righteousness and reveals them to be wretched, helpless, blind rebels, facing eternal judgment.  In response to being unmasked, they lash out in hatred at those who proclaim the truth to them.

            “When believers face hatred, they are to respond by seeking the welfare of those who hate them, thereby reinforcing their supernatural love.  The credibility of the gospel is at stake and believers must love the lost evangelistically.

            “Christ’s disciples must not only manifest love for their enemies by what they do, but also by what they say.  Instead of reviling them, they are to bless those who curse them; to say good things in response to their evil words.  Many of Christ’s followers were vilified, cursed, and ostracized in an unofficial way, just as Jesus had warned would happen (Matt. 10:35-37; Luke 12:51-53).”

(Matt. 10:35-37; Luke 12:51-53)

35  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36  And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

“51  Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52  For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53  They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’’

“Others were cursed in an official way by being excommunicated from the synagogue, which Jesus had also predicted would be the case (John 16:2; cf. 9:22; 34; 12:42).

(John 16:2; cf. 9:22; 34; 12:42)

“2  They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.”

“22  (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)

“34  They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.”

“42 ¶  Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;”

            “This command does not preclude warning unbelievers of the consequences of their sin, as the Lord Himself did (cf. 6:24-26; Matt. 23:13-36).

(cf. 6:24-26; Matt. 23:13-36)

“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.”

(I will not quote Matthew 23:13-36 because of the length of it.

“Apart from such warnings, there could be no conviction of sin (cf. John  17:7-11).”

(cf. John  17:7-11)

“7  Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8  For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9  I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10  All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 ¶  And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”

“Unbelievers must be confronted with the reality that apart from repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ they are cursed (1 Cor. 16:7-11).”

(1 Cor. 16:7-11)

“7  For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8  But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9  for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 10 ¶  When Timothy comes, that see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11  So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.”

“But when Christ’s followers confront sinners they must, like Paul, have an attitude of deep concern and love for them (cf. Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1).”

(cf. Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1)

“1 ¶  I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2  that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3  For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

“1 ¶  Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”

“And, like Paul, they must be willing to pay whatever price is necessary to take the gospel to the lost (cf. 1 Cor. 9:22: 2 Cor. 11:22-33).”

(cf. 1 Cor. 9:22: 2 Cor. 11:22-33)

“22  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.”

I am not going to quote 2 Cor. 11:22-33 because of the length of it.

            “Finally, Jesus commanded His followers to pray for those who mistreat them.  Specifically in this context, they are to pray for their salvation, as Jesus (Luke 23:34) and Stephen (Acts 7:59-60) did.”

(Luke 23:34)

34  Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.’”

“59  And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60  And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

7/21/2026 10:27 AM