Luke 6:35 – "…for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."

I. God is always good to those who aren’t good to him.

A. Scriptures about this.

1. Psalm 145:9 – " The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works."

2. Acts 14:17 – "Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

3. Matthew 5:48 – "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

B. Jesus died for the wicked.

1. Matthew 5:45 – "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

2. I Peter 3:18 – "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"

a. Christ was killed by those he came to seek and to save.

b. Christ gave to those that had disobeyed, rebelled, and weren’t seeking.

C. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost.

1. Luke 19:10 – "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

D. Kind means employed, i.e. (by impl.) useful (in manner or morals):--better, easy, good (-ness), gracious, kind.

E. Unthankful means ungrateful, or thankless.

F. Evil means: from a der. of G4192; hurtful, i.e. evil (prop. in effect or influence, and thus differing from G2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from G4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); fig. calamitous; also (pass.) ill, i.e. diseased; but espec. (mor.) culpable, i.e. derelict, vicious, facinorous; neut. (sing.) mischief, malice, or (plur.) guilt; masc. (sing.) the devil, or (plur.) sinners:--bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked (-ness). See also G4191.

G. Christ still loves us, hears our prayers, and takes care of us, even when we have sinned, and done exceedingly wicked against him – right?

II. We should be like Jesus. (Verse 27-38 – These things have nothing at all to do with changing the situation we are in, or changing the other person. They have everything to do with changing us.)

A. Verse 27 – Love your enemies, do good to them.

B. Verse 28 – Pray for those that curse you – (they are not called your enemies because they are not your enemies, you are their enemies!)

C. Verse 29-30 – Instead of bragging about how (See verse 23) we came out on top, and how we stopped the person from bullying us, let us brag about Christ, and how he has taken care of us, how he has supplied for us. Realize Matthew 6:33 – That when people take our possessions, those belong to God already, not really to us. God supplied them once, he can supply them again.

D. Verse 31 – the principle that explains our actions.

E. Verse 32-34 – We need to be different from heathens, not like them.

F. Verse 35-38 – Our example is Jesus.

1. Verse 36 – We are merciful because Jesus is merciful.

2. Verse 37 – Which comes first? Which comes first – judging or condemning?

3. Verse 38 – Which comes first? Which comes first – giving or receiving. I knew a man (Earl Vance) who wanted to have a lot of money so he could take care of his parents, and could give large sums of money to his church. He never got rich, so he could take care of them. Giving comes first – then receiving.

4. Latter part of verse 38 – FOR – because of the same measure, ye shall be measured again.

III. Luke 6:39-40 – The reason we must be like Jesus.

A. Verse 39 - The blind cannot lead the blind.

1. We must see the kingdom of God before we can lead others into it.

2. We must live like Jesus wants us to live before we will be able to help others.

B. See verse 42 – we can help others who have troubles (sin), but we must first see that sin in ourselves, get rid of it, then we are able to help them get sin out of their lives.