Love Your Enemies

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Introduction: When Randy Smalls found out his daughter was participating in the bullying of another girl at her middle school, he took swift action. But rather than simply disciplining his daughter with a typical punitive action, he took a different approach.

Ryan Reese, the target of the bullying, had been struggling with the loss of several family members. When Smalls’ wife, who was friends with Ryan’s mother, found out about Ryan’s struggles at school, they devised a plan.

Using the money that he initially intended to spend on his daughter, Smalls took Ryan out on a shopping spree, and had his daughter come along to help pick out her clothes. Then after dropping his daughter off at church, Smalls took Ryan to a beauty salon for a makeover. He even convinced several other salons to donate their services so that Ryan could be styled twice-a-month for several months.

Ryan’s mother, Richaun, was grateful to see a smile on her daughter’s face. “This is the first time I’ve seen a parent take such a stance on bullying.” Smalls took such drastic action because he remembers being bullied himself as a youth. “I say, ‘When you laugh along, you’re co-signing the bullying.’”

God has a heart for the outcast and rejected, and has judgment in store for those who marginalize others instead of loving the marginalized. We have to learn and understand that they way we treat others reflects our faith and it reflects our character. Jesus gives us more insight to what it means to love. Not just our friends, but our enemies. Turn with me to...

Read: Matthew 5:43-48

Explanation: Last week we talked about leaving vengeance in God’s hands. We talked about how showing kindness to those who wrong us instead of retaliating is like heaping burning coals on their heads. Today we take it a little further as Jesus challenges us to not just avoid retaliation, but to actually love people. Now this is not just let bygones be bygones, but this is a love that is active. This type of love...

Application:

Shows Maturity

Loving the unloveable is a sign of maturity in your faith. It is a sign that you have not remained in the elementary teachings of the faith. Hebrews 6:1 says,

Hebrews 6:1 ESV

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

A disciple is one who grows in their understanding and application of God’s Word! It truly takes one who is maturing to love properly. To love like Jesus loved.

Notice that maturity involves prayer. Augustine said, “He that loveth little prayeth little, he that loveth much prayeth much.”- Augustine. This love a disciple that...

Is Christ-like

Now I want you to hear this loud and clear; God shares His good things with those who oppose Him. Matthew 5:45

Matthew 5:45 ESV

so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Our love can create an atmosphere of blessings. In this type of atmosphere is makes it easier to win over our enemies. Through our love, we introduce others to our amazing God. Being a jerk has never won anyone to Jesus. This type of love...

Is a Great Witness

As disciples we should always strive to live a life that is good. That means we need to live with goodness all the time. The way we treat others is an amazing witness to how Christ loves.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 3217 When Excess Is Good

On his 99th birthday, Carl J. Printz, for many years the Commissioner from Sweden to Canada, stepped quickly onto the television stage, his keen eyes expressing wisdom and understanding of his years. He was asked for rules by which such a long and useful life might be achieved. He replied:

“I would suggest one definite rule and that is, one must be temperate in all things.” Then he added quickly, “perhaps I should say all but one, for in the Bible you can read the commandments to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, and your neighbor as yourself. These are the only things we can rightly do to excess.”

We can’t love too much! With every ounce of love we can muster, we show the greatness of grace of Jesus. As a disciple we must return good for evil as an investment of love.

The word perfect in verse 48 does not actually imply sinless. We know that it is impossible as long as we are on this earth to live a sinless life. The placement of this word suggests maturity, completeness as disciples. As God loves His enemies and seeks them out to offer them life, it is our job as His disciples to assist Him as we love our enemies.

Conclusion: Let’s love like we are supposed too. This life is meant to be lived in love as we strive to reflect Christ in all we do. Do you love your enemies? No where does God teach us in His word to hate. Nowhere does He encourage us to get even. Everywhere, we are told to love and forgive. We are most like Christ when we love without condition. I challenge you to truly love. Don’t hold back. Love your enemies, because when you do you show your maturity, you show Christ, you display your witness. So, love.

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