Make Room for Enemies

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Psalm 23 ((IN PLACE OF THE LORD’S PRAYER)) & Pastoral Prayer

Psalm 23 ESV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Introduction

You ever tried to find space in your fridge this time of year? You open the door — and it’s like a bad game of Tetris with the leftovers? You’ve got parts of the Thanksgiving turkey still hanging around — you’ve got a casserole dish from that potluck you forgot to take back — and something in a Tupperware container that’s either mashed potatoes or a science experiment. You keep telling yourself you’ll clean it out tomorrow — but then tomorrow comes — and somehow there’s more stuff in there.

At some point — you realize — something’s gotta go to make room.

That’s really what this season is all about. Not leftovers — but making room.

We live in a culture that’s great at filling space.

Our calendars are full.

Our homes are full.

Our minds are full.

And if we’re honest — sometimes our hearts are full too — but not with the right things. We fill them up with resentment — and pride… opinions — and grudges… and everything else that takes up space that belongs to Jesus Christ.

Advent isn’t about adding another thing to your life — it’s about making room. That’s why we’re starting a new series this morning during the season of Advent — called “Make Room” — where we’re going to be challenged this Christmas season. We’re going to be challenged to:

Make room for Christ.

Make room for His peace.

To make room for His way of seeing the world.

Me

But here’s where it gets personal — and a little uncomfortable for me.

I can talk all day long about making room for Christ in my life. I can preach about slowing down — preparing my heart — lighting candles — and remembering the hope that came into this world.

But every year — this season has a way of turning that spotlight back on my own soul and asking — “Zakk, who have you crowded out?”

There are people I’ve found it hard to make room for. Maybe you’ve been there too.

Somebody hurt you — somebody disappointed you — somebody said something they can’t un-say … or maybe you did. And now there’s this invisible wall between you. You’ve built a little emotional fence around your heart that says, “You stay on that side — and I’ll stay on mine.”

I’ve done that. I’ve done it in ministry. I’ve done it in friendships. I’ve even done it in my own family. And every time — the Lord seems to whisper, “You’ve still got some cleaning out to do, don’t you?”

And some of us didn’t just build a fence — we installed a security system — and barbed wire — and got a guard dog named “Petty”.

Here’s the hard truth we have to face today: it’s easy to sing about peace on earth even when we’re not at peace with the people sitting across from us. It’s easy to say, “Come, Lord Jesus,” but then ignore the people Jesus already came for.

And so Advent asks us to do something uncomfortable — it asks us to make room. Not just in our schedules — not even just in our hearts for Jesus — but for the people we’d rather leave standing out in the cold.

And when I look at my own heart — I realize that it’s not that I don’t have room — it’s that I’ve let the wrong things take up space. Pride — and hurt — and busyness — they’re all squatters in a space that’s meant for grace.

We

If we’re honest — we all have people we’ve quietly pushed out.

Today we’re looking at what it means to Make Room for our Enemies. Now — we don’t call them enemies because that’d be too harsh — it’d force us to admit we’re not being “nice”.

You know exactly who I’m talking about.

The person who hurt you and never apologized.

The family member who always knows how to push your buttons.

The co-worker who makes every day feel like a test of your sanctification.

The person who left the church and said some things on the way out that still sting when you think about them.

Every one of us has somebody who makes our heart tighten just a little when their name comes up. Somebody we’ve stopped making room for.

And look — I get it. It’s not that we’re trying to be bitter or unkind. Most of the time — we just get tired.

Tired of being misunderstood.

Tired of being hurt.

Tired of being the one who has to keep on forgiving.

And so we close off places in our hearts and say, “Well — that’s just off-limits now.”

But here’s the problem: Advent doesn’t give us that option.

Advent isn’t just about what God did — it’s about what He’s still doing. It’s about the light of Christ breaking into the darkness of our world — and if we’re being honest — sometimes that darkness isn’t out there — it’s in here.

The good news is — we’re not left in the dark. The same light that broke into Bethlehem 2,000 years ago — still breaks into the hardest parts of our hearts today.

God

In Isaiah Chapter 9, the prophet said:

Isaiah 9:2 CSB

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.

He wasn’t just talking about people far from God — he was talking about us. The ones who still wrestle with pride — and pain — and people we’d rather avoid.

So before we can begin to make room for Christ this season — we first have to admit:

We’ve filled our hearts with too much clutter.

And we’ve made room for opinions — and grudges — and painful memories that take up space where grace is supposed to live.

But Jesus shows us a better way. This year — during this season — we have an opportunity to clear out the clutter. We can make room for peace in our hearts by letting go of resentment.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke, Chapter 6. Luke is the third book of the New Testament. As you’re turning there — we’re going to see today that Jesus offers us the opportunity to make room for those people who we’d rather not turn toward.

Luke 6:27–36 NLT

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Man — Jesus doesn’t mince words in this message.

“Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.”

I Mean — let’s get real here — not exactly the kind of Christmas verse we put on a mug, is it? We like the verses about peace on Earth — and goodwill toward men — silent nights — and cozy nativity scenes.

But this? This is the kind of stuff that makes you wonder why you showed up at church today, isn’t it?

Because Jesus doesn’t say, “Tolerate your enemies.”

He doesn’t say, “Just avoid them and call it wisdom.”

He says, “Love them.”

And not just in theory, either. He tells us exactly what that looks like.

Exposition

See, through this passage — Jesus teaches us three things.

“REAL LOVE GOES FIRST” GRAPHIC

1. The first — is that Real Love Goes First.

Jesus begins by redefining how we think about love: “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.”

That’s not reactive love — it’s pro-active love. Real love doesn’t wait to be treated well before it acts — it goes first.

But that’s not how the world teaches us to live, is it? The world says, “Match the energy. Give people what they give you.” But Jesus says, “Give people what I give you.”

That’s hard, isn’t it? Because it means letting God’s grace interrupt our instincts. When somebody hurts us — our instinct is to protect ourself. When somebody attacks us — our instinct is to fight back.

But Jesus is saying, “You belong to a different Kingdom now.” The light of Advent — the light of Christ — calls us to respond with grace when we’ve been given grief.

That’s why He says in verse 31:

Luke 6:31 NLT

31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

It’s not a cute moral slogan — it’s the posture of Heaven. Real love doesn’t ask, “Do they deserve it?” It asks, “What does love require of me?”

“KINGDOM LOVE ISN’T TRANSACTIONAL” GRAPHIC

2. The second thing Jesus teaches us through this passage — is that Kingdom love isn’t transactional.

Jesus keeps pushing us. In verse 32 He asks, “If you love those who love you, why should you get credit for that?”

In other words — anybody can love when it’s easy. Anybody can be kind when there’s a reward attached. But Kingdom love doesn’t operate on return value.

We live in a world that runs on transactions — “You scratch my back — I’ll scratch yours.” “You’re good to me — so I’ll be good to you.”

But grace doesn’t play by those rules. Grace gives without calculating. Jesus is saying here, “If your love only extends to people who make you feel good — then you haven’t really learned how my love works yet.”

And this echoes Jesus’ statements in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus said:

Matthew 5:43–45 NLT

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

The love of God isn’t performance-based. It’s covenant-based. He doesn’t love us because we earned it. He loves us because its His nature. And that’s the kind of love we’re called to live out as followers of Jesus Christ.

That’s the king of love that turns enemies into family. That’s the kind of love that takes you and me — and brings us near through the Cross.

So when Jesus tells us to lend without expecting to get anything back, He’s not talking about money as much as He’s talking about motive.

Love that expects nothing in return — is the kind of love that shakes the world.

“WE’RE CALLED TO LOVE LIKE” GRAPHIC

3. And the third thing Jesus teaches us — is that we’re called to love like the Father.

Verse 36 of our passage today says, “Be compassionate — just as your Father is compassionate.”

There it is. That’s the model. We love like that because He loved like that.

Think about this — God doesn’t wait for gratitude to show grace.

He doesn’t withhold mercy from us until we “get it together”. He keeps giving — keeps forgiving — and keeps inviting.

In fact — before coming to Christ — we are called “Enemies of God”. And God loved us — His enemies — enough to send His Son to die for us.

Look at Romans 5 — 8 through 10 with me:

Romans 5:8–10 NLT

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

When we make room for our enemies — we’re not just doing a nice “Christian” thing — we’re revealing what Heaven looks like. We’re living out the kind of love that Jesus Himself has for each of us. And we’re showing the world a glimpse of the heart of God.

Jesus tells us — if we want to look like the Father, then we have to love like He does.

That’s what this Advent season is all about.

It’s not just that God came near — it’s that He came near to those who didn’t deserve it. He made room for the sinner — and the cynic… the doubter — and the betrayer.

He made room for us.

And now — He calls us to make room for others.

You

So what do we do with this?

If Jesus calls us to love our enemies — what’s that actually look like on Monday morning?

Because it’s one thing to nod along in church and say, “Yes, amen, love your enemies,” but it’s another thing entirely when that person walks into your work or your family gathering.

For some of us, an “enemy” might look like somebody who hurt us years ago.

For others — maybe it’s somebody who betrayed your trust or spread lies about you.

It might even be somebody you used to call a friend — but now when you think about them — your stomach knots up.

So what does love look like then?

It might start small. It might mean praying for them — really praying — not just the kind that says, “Lord, deal with them.” It might mean asking God to help you see them the way He sees them. And it might mean letting go of the bitterness that’s been eating at you from the inside.

Sometimes making room for your enemy isn’t about letting them back in — it’s about letting them go.

And that’s an important distinction — so hear me clearly:

Loving your enemy does not mean you have to be treated poorly.

It doesn’t mean allowing somebody to keep hurting you.

It doesn’t mean pretending abuse didn’t happen or staying in a bad situation because you think, “That’s what Jesus would do.”

Boundaries are biblical. Even Jesus withdrew from crowds. Even Jesus walked away from people who refused to receive Him. That’s not bitterness — that’s wisdom rooted in love. Even forgiveness can have boundaries.

You can forgive somebody but still keep a healthy distance.

You can release the bitterness without reopening the wound.

You can make room for peace without giving somebody the power to destroy it again.

See — love isn’t a weakness — it’s strength under control. It’s choosing mercy over malice — grace over revenge — and peace over payback.

And that choice doesn’t always change them — but it always changes you.

Because when you make room for your enemy in prayer, you make room for God to do something in your heart that resentment never will. You make room for healing. You make room for freedom. You make room for the kind of peace that doesn’t depend on anybody else’s behavior.

And maybe — just maybe — that’s how God softens both hearts — yours … and theirs.

So let me ask you a hard question —

“WHO DO YOU NEED TO” GRAPHIC

Who do you need to make room for this Christmas season?

Who have you quietly decided doesn’t get a seat at your table anymore?

Maybe it’s time to send that text. Or make that call. Or maybe it’s just time to say, “God, I can’t fix this — but I can forgive.”

Because forgiveness doesn’t say, “What you did was okay.” It says, “I refuse to let what you did define me anymore.”

That’s what love looks like when it’s been touched by grace.

We

When we think about it — this kind of love — this kind of mercy — isn’t just what Jesus taught — it’s what He lived.

Because every single one of us — at some point — stood on the wrong side of grace.

Before we ever made room for Christ — He made room for us. When we were His enemies — when we ran from Him — and ignored Him — and sinned against Him — He didn’t close the door. He opened His arms.

That’s the Gospel. That’s Advent: God making room for people who didn’t deserve it.

“GOD MAKES ROOM” GRAPHIC

And He still makes room for people who don’t deserve it.

And if He can do that for us — then surely we can begin to do that for others.

But let’s be honest — this doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It takes humility. It takes a lot of conversations with God that sound like,

“Lord, I want to forgive them — but I’m still angry.”

“Lord, I want to love them, but it still hurts.”

And that’s okay — that’s where grace begins.

Because grace doesn’t ask you to have it all together — it just asks you to take the next step.

When we start to live like Jesus — something begins to shift in us.

The weight of bitterness gets lighter.

The walls around our heart start to crack.

The peace we’ve been searching for finally has room to move in.

And suddenly — we realize that the light of Christmas isn’t just about what happened in Bethlehem… it’s about what can happen in us.

When we make room for our enemies — we make room for healing.

When we make room for mercy — we make room for peace.

When we make room for grace — we make room for God.

And that’s what this season is truly about. Not just waiting for Christ to come again — but letting Him come into every corner of our lives — even the ones we’ve kept closed off.

So this season — as we hang the lights — and sing the songs — and celebrate the birth of Jesus — may we also remember to make room where it matters most:

In our hearts,

in our homes,

and in the places that still need His peace.

Because when we make room for those we once called enemies — we discover something miraculous: God has been making room for us all along.

Call to Repentance

Maybe as we’ve been walking through this today — you recognize that maybe the enemy isn’t somebody else — but that enemy is you.

Maybe you haven’t forgiven yourself — or maybe you feel like forgiveness is out of reach for you — you’ve messed up too much — you’re too far gone — or there’s no way God would want a relationship with you after everything you’ve done.

But friend — the message of Christmas is that He hasn’t stopped making room — even for you.

While we were still sinners — Christ died for us. While we were still enemies — He stretched out His arms on a Cross and said, “Father, forgive them.”

That’s not just the story of Advent. That’s the story of Salvation.

The Son of God left Heaven — entered our mess — and made room for us when we didn’t deserve it. He took our sin — our shame — our stubborn pride — and He nailed it to the Cross so we could finally come home.

So maybe today — your next step isn’t about forgiving somebody else — it’s about receiving that forgiveness for yourself. It’s about saying, “Lord, I’ve been far from you. But I’m ready to come home.”

And the good news?

There’s room.

There’s room at His table.

There’s room in His Kingdom.

And there’s room in His heart — for you.

This is the season where we celebrate that Heaven came close. And when we make room for Him — He’ll fill every corner of our lives with His light.

Prayer

Communion