Completed Through the Teaching of Christ (Part 5)

How To Love Your Enemies

Text: Matthew 5:43-48

Matthew 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Place Preached - (Mississauga International Baptist Church)

Date Preached - (04/15/01)

Introduction:   

You will have enemies!!

Don’t go out of your way to make enemies!!!

ILLUS: Kicking over a beehive.

People react to their enemies in different ways…

Some HIDE from them.

Some seek to HINDER them.

Others attempt to HURT their enemies.

It is never OK!  You hurt yourself when you try to hurt your enemies.

Hebrews 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

ILLUS: Amos & Andy – Amos has been walking up and hitting Andy in the chest.  Andy says to Kingfish, I’ll fix him, and straps six sticks of dynamite to his chest.  “If he hits me again, he’ll blow his hand off!”

We want to justify our feelings of anger and hatred.  “If you only knew…..”    We want to say my situation is unique.

We are not to love, admire, or delight in the wrong that our enemies do, but we are to love them the same way God loves His enemies.

We love Christ, but have we embraced what he teaches?

I. Who are your enemies? Vs.44

The Jews differentiated between Neighbour and Enemy (vs.43).

In Luke 10 a young lawyer converses w/ Jesus concerning eternal life.

Luke 10:29  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

In response Jesus gave the parable of the good Samaritan.

NEIGHBOUR - according to the Jews, any member of the Hebrew race and commonwealth

according to Christ, any other man irrespective of race or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet

Romans 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

James 2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

We are to love even our enemies, but who are our enemies?

A. People who curse you

CURSE – To pray against, To speak evil of

B. People who hate you

HATE – Malicious and unjustifiable feelings toward others.

C. People who despitefully use you

DESPITEFULLY USE – To falsely accuse / To Insult / To treat abusively / To threaten

D. People who persecute you

PERSECUTE – To pursue, to follow after, to run swiftly after to catch a person.

2 Timothy 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Who is the real enemy?

II. How to express love to your enemies vs.44

This kind of Love is not a challenge, it is a choice.

A. Choose to pray for them

Pray with them.

B. Choose to bless your enemies

BLESS – To praise, to ask for God’s blessing upon an individual, to desire and ask God to prosper, favour, and bestow His blessing upon them.

Say it – Mean it – Live it.

If I treat you in this way, I no longer count you an enemy.

C. Choose to do good to your enemies

“Do Good” – speaks of continued and repeated action.

In other words… Doing good to those who keep hurting you.

What are some practical ways we can do good to our enemies?

1. When tempted to say something negative about an enemy, say something nice.

2. Staying quiet about the details of what you know about your enemy.

3. Promoting civility and functionality toward your enemies.

4. Being honest in your own conduct, giving time to allow God’s grace and mercy to enter their lives.

III. What are the benefits of loving your enemies?

A. Loving your enemies strengthens your relationship to the Father. Vs.45

In fact, it identifies you as belonging to Him.

John 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

We are talking about verifying the family resemblance.

Ephesians 5:1  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

We are to Love as God Loves.

Psalms 145:9  The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Sunshine and rain are emblems of God’s tender and loving mercies.

God has a redemptive purpose in His love.

Romans 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

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

B. Loving your enemies secures your reward. Vs.46-47

No reward for loving those who love you.

In loving our friends we are in one sense only loving ourselves.  An expanded sort of selfishness.

We are practicing no higher morality then the world and the most despised among the world.  (The Publicans – heathen ,  ie. Code of honor amongst bikers).

The publicans and sinners do the same.

SALUTE – To greet, bid welcome, wish well to, the meaning virtually is "to pay his respects to. Being friendly, making much of.

A salutation was made not merely by a slight gesture and a few words, but generally by embracing and kissing, a journey was retarded frequently by saluting.

C. Loving your enemies settles your righteousness. Vs.47-48

2 Corinthians 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

1 Peter 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Some say “I Can’t”……,  You can’t, but don’t be content with coming short.

Conclusion:     (Review)

I cannot choose my enemy’s response, but I can choose my own response.

God is more concerned about your response to your enemies, then He is about their opposition to you.

ILLUS: In the days of President George Washington there was an unruly man named Michael Whitman, who had done everything in his power to hurt and oppose a Pastor named Peter Miller. 

When Whitman was sentenced to hang for treason, Pastor Miller walked 70 miles to speak a word in his behalf.

George Washington was impressed but said “Your Friend will have to die”.  “You don’t understand” Miller responded, this man is not my friend but my enemy.  Washington pardoned Michael Whitman that day saying “If he were your friend he would have died”.   Together Michael Whitman and Peter Miller walked back the 70 miles to their homes.

Jesus died for you when you were His enemy!!!

ENEMY – Men at enmity with God because of their sin.  Men who hold hostilities with God.

They are imitators of the arch enemy and most bitter opponent of God – Satan!

Romans 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Romans 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.