Loving Our Enemies

1. Read: Matthew 5:43-48

2. About the Text:

1) These words are part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount.

2) He is contrasting the traditions of the Jews to God’s truth.

3) He has discussed murder, adultery, lying, and revenge.

4) Now he turns toward attitudes toward enemies.

5) The Jewish people had a lot of enemies.

6) The current enemy was Rome; they hated them for occupying the city of Jerusalem.

7) “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy” was what they said.

8) Perhaps they had in mind Psalm 139:21-22, “Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.”

9) The Psalmist is expressing hatred for the sin of hating God, not for the sinner himself.

10) They used this as an excuse to hate their enemy not for their sin, but for who they were.

11) Jesus calls them and us to a higher standard.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Love your enemies.

1) The word “love” here is the Greek word “agape.”

2) This kind of love involves seeking another’s physical and spiritual welfare.

3) Love comes from God – 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

4) God teaches us to love – 1 Thess.4:9 “But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”

2. Bless those who curse you.

1) “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).

2) I’m reminded of Abraham who said to Lot when his herdsmen were quarreling over land, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren” (Genesis 13:8).

3) “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8-9).

3. Do good to those who hate you.

1) Consider all of the good-will that love produces in relationships when it is practiced effectively.

2) 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth.”

3) “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Colossians 3:14).

4. Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

1) It takes faith to sit down and ask God to help your enemy.

2) This does not mean to help him continue in sin or wrongdoing.

3) Stephen prayed, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60).

4) Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

1. That you may be children of your Father.

1) “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).

2. God gives good things to everyone.

1) He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good.

2) He sends rain on the just and the unjust.

3) “Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17).

4) “He gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

5) “God … gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

3. Be perfect as your Father is perfect.

1) “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-8).

2) “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

1. If you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

1) Have you really gained anything spiritually from this kind of relationship?

2) You get exactly what you give and the exchange is equal.

3) There is no spiritual profit in this kind of relationship.

4) The tax collectors so behave.

5) When we love our enemies, the spirit leads us, not the flesh.

6) Every single person has the need to be loved by someone.

7) Will we be brave enough and have the faith to love our enemies?

8) Galatians 5:13-14 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

9) Who is our neighbor?

2. If you just greet your brethren, what more do you do than others?

1) The word “greet” means more than just “say hello.”

2) It involves spending time with someone, even embracing them.

3) To embrace those who are your brethren is expected.

4) This is not anything special.

5) The tax collectors do this also.

6) What about talking to our enemies and greeting them?

7) It takes courage and faith to do this.

8) We must reach out in the hopes of effecting change.

3. This is grace-filled love.

1) It is the so-called unlovable that need love.

2) We must make efforts to love especially toward those who society does not.

3) Not everyone will accept our efforts.

1. We should love our enemies because of . . .

1) The Teaching of Jesus

2) The Example of the Father

3) The Needs of Everyone

2. Invitation