Conquering Your Personal Enemies Without War
Matthew 5:43-48
July 14, 2019 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Introduction (Matthew 5:43-48)
A. Jesus taught in Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7 the superiority of the Kingdom of God
B. And He did it, not by throwing away the Old Testament, or God’s laws, but by teaching what they actually meant, and how they work even today!
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Everyone just believed… |
But Jesus said… |
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Thou shalt not kill (5:21-26) So don’t worry if you don’t kill anybody |
Don’t get angry without a good cause. Deal with your anger, and seek reconciliation, not retribution |
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Thou shalt not commit adultery (5:27-30) |
Stop your wandering heart and eyes! Deal with your own lust, which is the real sin and problem in our hearts |
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Divorce could be gotten for any reason (5:31,32) |
No divorce in the Kingdom of God, except for abandonment and extreme fornication. It ought to be super rare! |
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No Forswearing (33-37) – always mean your swears |
Just make your Yes, YES, and your No, NO without swearing at all |
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It is right to seek revenge (38-42) when hurt |
Go the second mile for everyone – even those that take advantage of you |
C. He then focuses on how to handle enemies without a war (5:43-48)
1. Again, Jesus is not speaking to governors or prime ministers or magistrates, or national leaders and Garda
2. They are supposed to be ready to defend, and to fight and to go to war against national enemies and dangerous criminals
3. There ARE times to retaliate as a nation, or as someone protecting others
4. But Jesus here deals with those that PERSONALLY attack us and hate us and persecute us and abuse us. And He commands that we love them!
D. Raise your hand if you have any enemies – people who won’t talk to you, hate you, constantly criticize you, walk away from you, and talk about you behind your back, and would spit in your face if they could get away with it!
1. There are people we’ve offended and then apologized to, but still refuse to accept our apologies and just hate us still!
2. There are people we’ve angered, and they are not getting over it
3. There are people who are jealous of us for whatever reason
4. There are people in our families who hold a grudge against us for years.
5. And there are people who just dislike us
6. There are people who HATE me! Would LOVE for me to fail and fall
7. Having enemies are a sad part of human life.
8. The LGBTQRTS… hate us and God. Tolerance is a LIE!
9. What Jesus teaches about loving our enemies will show just how STRONG a hold our pride has on OUR heart – and how much of the past still controls our present!
E. THIS passage is the PINNACLE of Christ’s greatest teaching ever!
1. He has a lot more to teach in this series, but this is the greatest, and the hardest to learn and obey!
2. It sets us solidly apart from every other philosophy and religion that has ever existed.
3. Evin Nikita Khrushchev, one of Russia’s communist leaders understood this and said that the difference between Communism and Christianity with this paraphrased remark: “The difference between Christianity and Communism is great. When someone strikes you on the face, you turn the other cheek. If you strike me on the face, I’ll hit you so hard your head will fall off.”
II. Background
A. The Typical Teaching Made Sense (Mt 5:43)
1. Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said [EVERYBODY SAID IT], Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
2. Made perfect sense
a. Love those that love you - those that are just like you – think like you, act like you
b. And HATE those that hate you, and are not like you and don’t even want to be like you
3. What could be simpler?
4. This way of treating people is universal – works all over the world!
B. The obvious question is, Why care about people who… (5:39-42,44)
1. Smite you – hit you
2. Sue you in the courts
3. Abuse your life – are toxic to you
4. Rob you and just take and take and take from you
5. Curse you
6. Hate you
7. Despitefully use you
8. And persecute you as a Christian!
9. Even other Christians torment Christians – without hesitation
a. Take them to court
b. Sue for divorce
c. Fight and argue
C. We are so tempted to retaliate against those who mistreat us.
1. Treat them exactly like they are treating us
2. A 98 year old man was asked if he had any enemies – he said confidently, “No!” The reporter then asked what was his secret – what made it possible so that he had no enemies? The man confidently announced, “Because I have outlived them all!”
3. The rest of us have this disposition in us that causes us to react the same way as how people treat us! And it is awful!
4. We often try to ignore them
5. We struggle with tolerating people who just annoy us
6. But deep inside, we WANT revenge
7. Is there ANYBODY else like this?
D. But we MUST do more than tolerate people who hurt us or else we will only be like them
1. We HAVE to love the hardest people to love, or else we do not know love at all!
2. God has some very good reasons why we MUST love those that show no love towards us as believers
III. Message
A. Christ Gives Us Four Absolute REACTIONS to Hurt (Matthew 5:44)
1. Mat 5:44 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;
2. Love
3. Bless – wish happiness, and a good life for them
4. Do Good to them
5. And Pray for them
6. Look at that list of commands again!
a. Love your enemies
1) Not asking us to love the hurt, nor their sin, but the hurter
2) Really love them – not fake smile
b. Bless those that curse you – wish happiness, and a good life for those that wish evil to come upon your life
c. Do good to those that hate your guts
d. And PRAY for (not against) people who…
1) Despitefully use you - extreme malice, violent hatred, totally disrespect – walk all over you
2) And persecute you – focus their attention on ruining your life
3) Take time – make effort to pray for their safety and salvation, and their family, and their relationship with God – to have one!
e. Now tell me that THAT sounds easy!!! Not to ME!
1) Here is a great truth – it is much easier to love someone that you pray for
2) So start praying for everyone – even those that personally hate you
f. This is to believers – so it is absolutely expected of US!
B. So, To Love Your Enemy…
1. Was and Still Is Completely Overlooked even though in the Old Testament
a. Jesus was not throwing any of the Old Testament Laws away
b. Throughout each of His teachings, he showed how RIGHT they were and still are!
c. Leviticus 19:18. “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”
d. The part of hating our enemies was inferred by the Jewish teachers of that day.
e. The people had taken this so far as to become totally racist – against all other nations. Remember Jonah’s attitude towards the Ninevites?
f. They had rejected their role in the world – that of being an attracting light
g. And replaced it was HATE towards the Gentiles, and towards anyone who was acting or believing different than their strictest Pharisee Teachers.
2. It’s funny that the mark of the last days will ONLY be the love of self (2Timothy 3:1,2), and the love of THINGS (Rev 3:14,17)
a. 2Ti 3:1,2 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…
b. Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God… Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
3. Did You Know that God COMMANDS His People to love so much more than just ourselves (which we already do naturally)?
a. God commands us to Love Him (Deuteronomy 6:5) – fail here, and you will fail everywhere else
1) Deut 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
b. Love Strangers – people not like you (Leviticus 19:33,34)
1) Lev 19:33,34 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
c. Love our Neighbours – those nearby you, and are like you (Matthew 22:36-40)
1) Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
2) Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
3) Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
4) Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
5) Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
d. Love our family (Ephesians 5:25; Titus 2:4)
1) Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
2) Tit 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children
3) We THINK this is easy, but it is NOT as easy as we let on, is it?
e. Love anyone born again
1) 1Jn 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
2) 1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
f. But ALSO, here is the command - to Love those that have become our enemies
1) Jesus is asking us to love people no matter what they do to us, no matter how they treat us, no matter how they insult us. No matter what their actions are towards us personally
2) Take a good look at how YOU respond!!!
3) We can never allow bitterness against them to invade our hearts, but must treat those that hate us, with goodwill.
4) So, it doesn’t mean that we have to love our enemies the same way that we speak about “falling in love” with someone or the way we love our family members. It simply means we must open our hearts to them and be kind to them instead of mean!
C. Examples of Loving Enemies
1. Old Testament Law said Show acts of kindness towards your enemy
a. Exo 23:4,5 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
b. Pro 25:21,22 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
c. Get the door for them. Pay for their coffee. Say Hi to them. If they leave their wallet behind them, take it to them. Let them say hurtful things without you responding!
2. Love those you hate and despise already (Luke 10:25-37)
a. Luk 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
b. Luk 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
c. Luk 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
d. Luk 10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
e. Luk 10:29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
f. Luk 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
g. Luk 10:31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
h. Luk 10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
i. Luk 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
j. Luk 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
k. Luk 10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
l. Luk 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
m. Luk 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
n. We forget that the Jews were the sworn enemies of the Samaritans, and yet this Samaritan LOVED this hurt jewish man!!!
3. Jesus Loved His Enemies
a. Luk 23:33,34 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
b. He had rebuked them for their wrong doing, and their sins, but loved them!
4. Stephen Loved HIS Enemies
a. Act 7:58-60 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
b. He had passionately preached about their wrongs and sins (THAT IS LOVE), and when they started stoning him, he prayed for them, and loved them enough to ask God to NOT condemn them for killing him!
5. Patrick loved his enemies
a. He actually ended up loving those that had invaded his Northern English village and stolen him as a 16 year old boy and forced him to work in the Irish fields for years until his escape
b. It was his LOVE for his enemies that God used to call him to return to Ireland around 432 AD to actually preach the Gospel to the Irish
6. Corrie ten Boom
a. She and her sister Betsie ten Boom, and other fof their family members help many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II by hiding them in their home in the Netherlands.
b. They were caught on 28 February 1944, and she and her sister were arrested and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. The six people hidden by the ten Booms, among them both Jews and resistance workers, remained undiscovered. Corrie ten Boom received a letter one day in prison reading "All the watches in your cabinet are safe," meaning the refugees had managed to escape and were safe. Almost a year later, Betsy was so discouraged and sickly and struggled to handle the abuse of the Germans, but Corrie kept gently reminding her that “There is no pit so deep that He [God] is not deeper still."
c. Betsy died on 16 December 1944 at the age of 59 in the camp.
d. Ten days later, Corrie was amazingly released, which was later discovered to be a mistake. Everyone else in her age group in the camp were all gassed.
e. Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, is a biography that recounts the story of her family's efforts and how ten Boom found hope while imprisoned at the concentration camp.
f. She said her greatest effort was in trying to love the Germans who were abusing not only her, but the multitudes of Jews throughout Europe.
g. In 1946, she returned to Germany and met with and forgave two Germans who had been employed at Ravensbrück, one of whom was particularly cruel to Betsie.
D. What Does Loving Your Enemy Look Like?
1. Submission – not arguing and fighting
a. People are afraid of this one word – but God isn’t
b. When there is someone is in charge of your life, like
1) Your employer at the moment
2) Your spouse
3) Your parents
4) Your banker
5) The taxman
c. Love them enough to let them hate you without a fight
d. Just keep going, keep serving them and the Lord
e. Listen to Proverbs 31:10-13 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
f. That is what real love looks like and acts like
g. You don’t have to win folks in every argument
h. And you do not have to end up hating when the other person is being mean
2. Second Chances – lots of them
a. Give your enemies loads of chances to get right and do things right
b. Jesus told Peter to forgive 70 times 7 times in a day
c. That’s almost an infinite amount of second chances in a lifetime!
d. When you start holding a grudge against anyone, you sin. How do you know if you are holding a grudge?
1) You never say sorry for anything you do
2) You constantly bring up the past and all the other person’s failures
3) Your mind constantly reviews hurts instead of joys
3. Skipping over offenses – overlooking things (Prov 19:11) The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
4. Shutting Up! Quit fighting back - judging when you don’t know what the other person is going through. TRY and reason with them, and then shut up.
5. Showing kindness and mercy. Show love towards the people you normally would hate (Rom 12:20,21) – Do nice things
a. Rom 12:20,21 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. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
6. In summary, Love worketh no ill to his neighbour (Romans 13:8-10)
a. Love with simplicity. No baggage and no hangups. It’s hard to do! But do it!
b. Rom 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
7. This is a HARD list – that’s why we need it!
E. Love Has Limits
1. Jesus is NOT telling us to love the culture of our enemies, their attitudes of pride and arrogance, their sin that they flaunt, the wealth, nor the power of those that hate you and hate Jesus and despise everything about the Bible! No!
2. Just determine to love THEM!
a. 1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
b. That’s why Christians reject the Hollywood culture that hates God
c. We reject the modern music culture that hates God and Christians
d. We love their souls, but rejectr their music and movies and opinions
3. Jesus tells us to treat others exactly like YOU would want to be treated (Mt 7:12)
a. With real respect – not that we agree with those that hate God, but we listen to them, and try and reason with them, and show them a better way to live
b. That is real love
c. Not the fighting, and the arguing that is so commonplace today
4. Yes, Sometimes you just have to WALK AWAY from those that hate you. Leave them alone. Let them hate. Just be careful.
5. You had better tried to love them first like Christ said to. And make sure you haven’t given them a good reason to be upset at you!
F. Why? Why Love Our Enemies?
God has some very good reasons why we MUST love those that show no love towards us as believers
1. Because God is GOOD to those that curse Him and hate Him (Matthew 5:45)
a. Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
2. Because GOD loves HIS enemies (Romans 5:6,8)
a. Rom 5:6,8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly... But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Because Christ did NOT die so you could hate anybody! His death robs you of the right to hate anybody!
4. Because the people you are upset with are just like you
a. They have a soul – they have problems – they have hurts – and YOU are not GOD!
b. God wants them SAVED from His wrath
c. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
5. Because you are no better – Hard to believe, but you and your enemy are the SAME until you humble yourself and love them like Christ loved YOU when you were HIS enemy!
6. Because hatred and revenge hurts YOU more than the person you are trying to hurt
a. You actually are hurting twice as much
b. Because you were hurt by your enemies
c. And now that you hate them and want to hurt them like they hurt you, you are hurting yourself once again!
d. Not cool!
7. Because LOVE is the SOURCE of all our best attitudes and actions!
a. Let everything we do be BY LOVE (Galatians 5:13-15)
1) Gal 5:13-15 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. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
b. Love without partiality – just love people! (James 2:8-10)
1) Jas 2:8-10 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
8. So that you can be like Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:45-47) instead of like the devil!
a. God expects us to act like HIS children instead of the devil’s! The lowest in society only love those that love them, and hates those that hate them! THAT is not our pattern to follow
b. Mat 5:45-47 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
9. So You Can be Perfect! (Matthew 5:48)
a. Loving your enemies makes us perfect!
b. Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
IV.Conclusion
A. How Do We Do It?
1. By deciding to do it
a. Without a serious commitment to obeying these things even though they hurt doing, you will never actually love anybody other than yourself
2. By admitting we can’t as we are – must make sure we have been born again – truly converted, not just religious, or baptized, or anything external!
3. By constantly asking for God’s help to love
a. We need the power of the fulness of the Holy Spirit in our lives
b. It ain’t possible to love your enemies without the help of the Spirit of God
4. By failing over and over – allow yourself to fail, to prove you are trying!
5. By fearing the consequences of NOT doing it…
a. You will only ever be LIKE those that hate you and hurt you
b. God will have to judge and chastise you for disobeying His word
c. You will end up hurt worse than those that are already hurting you
B.
Can I say this??? Are you someone’s enemy? Stop it!
You need to look at whether YOU are someone’s enemy and stop it!