How to Make Enemies into Friends
And They Remembered His Words • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsA brief message on 4 things that will change enemies into friends
Notes
Transcript
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Pre-Sermon Ice Breaker
Pre-Sermon Ice Breaker
A husband comes home from work early and says to his wife, “I invited a friend home for dinner.” The wife replies, “What? Are you crazy? The house is a mess, all the dishes are dirty, and I can’t cook a meal.” The husband says, “I know all that.” The wife asks, “Then why did you invite the friend?” The husband says, “Because the poor fool is thinking of getting married.”
Introduction
Introduction
Dale Carnegie was born November 24, 1888 and died November 1, 1955. He best known for his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. One of the core ideas of his books is that it is possible to change other people’s behavior by changing one’s behavior towards them.
In our message today we will meet a man who introduced this concept over 2000 years ago and if we will apply the truths he shared we will in one single verse learn what Carnegie spent a lifetime trying to establish.
Throughout 2021 we have been memorizing God’s Word. Our Theme in October has been “Falling Leaves” we have looked a verses with truths as vibrant as the season. Today in the Gospel of Matthew we discover Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and God the Son offering principles that often surprised and confused his listeners.
The gospel of Matthew is broken into five discourses. The first is the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus begins to astonish his listeners with teachings that seem foreign to their ears, but find their foundation in the Old Testament. Matthew 5:44 shows us how we might make friends of our enemies. He identifies this with four words or actions that we should incorporate into our life that will produce change. Let’s look at them together.
Body
Body
Love
Love
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Jesus says love your enemies
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Love - Agapao
Unconditional, Self-less, Sacrificial Love
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Bless
Bless
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Bless them that curse you
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Bless - Eulogeo (Yoo-log-eh-o)
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Do Good
Do Good
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Pray
Pray
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Pray for them which despitefully use you.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Pray without ceasing.
Conclusion
Conclusion
One of the core ideas of Dale Carnegie’s books is that it is possible to change other people’s behavior by changing one’s behavior towards them.
No doubt the true source of this revelation is Jesus. He has shown us in our passage today if we want to make our enemies our friends we should
Love Them.
Bless Them.
Do Good to Them.
and Pray for Them.
It all begins with a relationship with Christ.