Risking for the Rewards of Heaven

SERMON OUTLINE

1. Risk versus Reward
2. 3 Triads repeated 3 times (Luke 6:27-35)
3. Love your enemies (Rom 11:28, 5:10)
   1. Enemies – anyone who harmed you or seeks your harm
   2. Love them (Lk 6:27, Mk 10:45, Jn 13:34, 15:9)
   3. Is Not
      1. Easy
      2. Always Returned or responded to at first
      3. A feeling
   4.  Is
      1. A Choice
      2. Loving is about Forgiving
      3. Seeking the best for another even when they are seeking our worst
      4. Dying for your enemies (Lk 23:34, Acts 7:60)
4. Doing Good (Luke 6:27b-29)
   1. Is Not (Mt 5:38f)
      1. Tit for tat (Mt 5:38)
      2. Supporting an unjust/ungodly cause
      3. Compromising
   2.  Is
      1. Counter-intuitive
      2. Costly
      3. Relational
5. Being Generous
   1. Is Not
      1. Loans
      2. Justice
      3. Giving your tithe and nothing more
      4. A hat you wear sometimes and don’t wear other times
   2.  Is
      1. Character Quality
      2. About blessing those who don’t deserve it.
      3. Recognizing who is the real owner of the stuff we have
      4. Freely received, freely give
      5. About being willing to take up a cross and die to ourselves.
      6. About confronting our penchant for materialism
   3. Surely I am not to give to the con artist?
6. Is it Worth it to risk in these ways?
   1. YES!
   2. Why (Luke 6:35)
      1. Great Reward
         1. Treasures in Heaven (Mt 19:21)
         2. Crowns of Righteousness (2Tim 4:8), Life (Jam 1:12, Rev 2:10), Glory (1Pt 5:4)
         3. Banquet with the Son of Man (Luke 14:15-24, Rev 19:9)
         4. New Jerusalem
      2. Our identity – proof that God is in us (Lk 6:35d)
   3. So who do you want to be? Who does God want you to be? (Heb 12:2)
   4. Living by Faith is always a risk