.....Then I taught a caregroup lesson on "How to be more like Jesus?" Here are the outline.
Luke 6:27-3627
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
What Jesus taught in this very famous long sermon is in the end(his death) even more clearly demonstrated in his own life. Jesus did not merely say these things but he did it well. Below is the sermon outline without associated verses.
1.) Do good despite circumstances. v27-28
Jesus already warned very clearly there will surely be people who hate us, persecute us etc but we are to still be good. It is no excuse to be like the rest of the world and respond the way typical man did. Jesus endured crufixion, criticism and humiliations yet He prayed for them. When Jesus was being insulted and all that, He chose not to send down the angels to destroy them because he loves them. The backbone of doing good despite unlikeable or unfavourable circumstances is love, not legalism.
2.) Deny your rights v29-31
We are called to deny our rights. To be the sons of God is to deny the rights of being the son of this world. And in this world, if we cling on to it and to all that the worldly pursuits and desires in it, we would become part of it and we will never be more like Jesus. We mist recognise Jesus, His ministry, what the Bible says and follow His example. He gave up His rights in order to do what the Father told him to do. Do we give up our rights for pleasures and other sinful desires for the Kingdom of God?
3.) Be different from the world v32-35a
Being different from the world is not to be alienated from them but to just be different in good deeds and mindset like Jesus. Being different from the world starts off from knowing and recognising our identity. When we fix our eyes on what is eternal; Jesus Christ and His Kingdom then our previous identity of pursuing what the world does fades away. We should display our good deeds more yet not hypocritically thinking that in these efforts, our actions can put us higher before 'sinners'(those who've not yet believed in Jesus' Kingdom) or a chance to condemn them.
4.) Desire to be more like Jesus v35b-36Many things is achieved not just be sheer hard work. If our hearts is not engaged, God will not hear our prayers. We should pray for our hearts as well to be more like Jesus. Jesus' intention of saying these words:"Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." is to want to spur us to be more like Jesus. Without desiring, we will not accomplish very much.
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