The following is a sermon delivered on the Lord's Day, May 10, 2020, at First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, KS. The text was from Matthew 5:43-48 on the subject of loving your enemies.
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 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." 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
We're looking today at the last portion of Matthew chapter 5, but we are only a third of the way through with our study of the Sermon on the Mount. Last week, I told you that in this chapter, Jesus addresses five statements that begin with, "You have heard that it was said." Technically, it's six statements, for verse 31 begins with the shorter form, "It was also said." Today, we look at the last of those statements, here in verse 43: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'"
Now, each one of these statements pertains to something we find in the Law of God. Verse 21 says, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'" That's right out of the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses. Likewise, Verse 27 says, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'" That's the seventh commandment. Jesus uses these two commandments to show people—just because you haven't committed these sins outright doesn't mean you're holy. If you hate your brother, you've murdered in your heart. If you lust for a woman, you've committed adultery in your heart.
In verse 31, Jesus states, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'" That was out of Deuteronomy 24. This wasn't a command to get divorced, but that's how the Pharisees had interpreted this, and that's what they were telling the Jewish men—you may divorce your wife for any reason as long as you give her a certificate of divorce. Jesus said, "No, that is wrong." Divorce is sin that begets sin. The point of the Law was to discourage divorce, but the Pharisees had twisted it to encourage divorce.
In verse 33, Jesus says, "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old," and this one pertained to how the Pharisees had twisted laws concerning swearing oaths. Instead, Jesus said let your yes be yes and your no be no; "anything more than this comes from evil."
Last week, we looked at verse 38: "You heave heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooh.'" This was the law of just or equal measures as we find from Exodus through Deuteronomy. The pharisees and the teachers of the law had twisted this to apply to absolutely everything. But Jesus says, "Don't make a federal case about everything." Do not escalate a conflict but turn the other cheek. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go the extra mile. "Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."
Now we get to the last of the "You have heard that it was said" statements, but this one is different than all the rest we've heard Jesus say thus far. Every other statement was a direct quote from the Law. But this one is not found in the Law at all: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' Where is that in the Law? No where. We've not read this statement in the Bible up to this point. So where did it come from? It came from the false teaching of the Pharisees.
What every one of these statements has in common is that these are all commandments the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law have taught falsely. They take actual commandments, and they twist them to mean something they don't actually mean. They also make up commandments that aren't actually commandments. "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy" is an example of that. In Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6, and in Revelation 22, we are told repeatedly: do not add to God's word, and do not take away from God's word. And that's exactly what the teachers of Israel were doing at the time of Christ.
I remind you again that in verse 17, Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." What Jesus taught after that was the Law, and there were people among the Jews who were apt to think that Jesus was teaching so differently than what they'd been taught by the Pharisees, Jesus is abolishing the Law! Certainly the Sadducees, the lawyers, the scribes, and the Pharisees all accused Jesus of that. But Jesus was saying here, "I'm not messing with the Law of God—they are."
Verses 18-20: "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
I've told you how the Pharisees would diminish the word of God to make His laws more attainable. But this is not the way we attain righteousness. Romans 3:21-22 says, "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." Again, the righteousness of God is by faith in Jesus Christ. If you have faith in Jesus, you do have a righteousness that exceeds the scribes and the pharisees.
But that is not to say the Law no longer applies, for Paul goes on in Romans 3:31 to say, "Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were not doing that. But we must. We must know the word of God that He has spoken, and we must desire to uphold it.
Here, our Savior, our Master, our King, commands us, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," so that you may be sons and daughters of your Father who is in heaven. Now again, as with last week, this doesn't pertain to civil laws imposed by civic governments. If a man kills another and he is found guilty of murder, he should receive a sentence of death. Protestors will stand outside the courthouse and proclaim, "Jesus said love your enemies!" This is not a reason to overthrow justice.
But rather, in your own personal experiences, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Remember back to what we read in the beatitudes: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Are we not reading the same thing here? "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Blessed are you with others revile you. Blessed are you. Do you believe that when others make fun of your or hate you for keeping the word of God? In 2 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul said, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities." I am content with them, "so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Last week I quoted to you from Peter, who said, "If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God" (1 Peter 2:20). Later on in the letter, he says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed."
Listen to this: "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Peter 4:12-14).
When you suffer for the name of Christ, do you rejoice and are you glad? If you are insulted for the name of Christ, do you consider yourself blessed? If you are, then your faith will be manifested in this obedience—you will love your enemies and you will pray for those who persecute you.
If you do not ever suffer for the name of Christ, can I ask you why? Why do you not endure hardship for the name of Christ? Jesus said we would be hated for His name. We just heard Jesus say here, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake… Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." In John 15:18, Jesus said, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."
In 2 Timothy 3:12, the Spirit says, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." All who desire godliness in Christ will be hated by the world. If you are not enduring any kind of backlash for your faith, can I ask you why?
Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that you have to be persecuted in order to be saved. But your salvation will have an effect. It will have an effect on you, and it will have an effect on others around you. It will have an effect on you in that being saved in the hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ will produce in you godliness.
We're told in 1 Timothy 6:3 that "the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ" is "teaching that accords with godliness." Meaning that your belief in the gospel and your love for the word of Christ will awaken within you a desire to be like Jesus, to be Christ-like, or to be holy as God is holy. Jumping to Jesus' last statement here in Matthew 5:48, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This is the desire for godliness.
As you progress in your Christian walk, you will grow in godliness. Another word for this is sanctification, from the Latin word "sanctus," meaning "holy." It is the process of growing in Christ-likeness. You who are justified by His grace are being sanctified by His grace. You came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for your sins, and give you victory over the grave and citizenship in His eternal kingdom. This faith changed you, and it continues to change you. You no longer walk in your old sinful ways, and you're still wanting to put off your earthly self as you long for the kingdom of heaven where God is. This is how salvation has an effect on you.
But it also has an effect on the people around you. This can be positive and it can be negative. For some, it will have a positive effect. They will see the change that has happened in you, and they will love it. You are a different person. When the Bible says take off the old and put on the new, they can look at you and they can see that. You've changed for the better. The old sinful man or woman has been raised from spiritual deadness to a new life pursuing godly character, moral goodness, sacrificial love, with grace, generosity, and forgiveness toward others as God has given these things to you. You speak kindly of others. You are a servant to others. You are at peace with others. Who would not find that to be instantly attractive?
But this effect on others can also be negative. Some people will actually hate your moral character, and the more godly you become, the more they hate you. Even though you have come to know that you are a wretched sinner in need of a Savior, and that you have no good apart from Christ, they will accuse you of being self-righteous.
In Christ, your beliefs have changed, your speech has changed, your actions have changed. Your desires, your orientations, your ambitions—all of these things have changed. All for the good if it is in the righteousness and the character of Christ. And that is why people are going to hate you for it. You are not of this world. Your attitudes and behaviors are completely foreign to worldly people.
We're told in 1 Peter 4:4 that they're even surprised when you don't join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they will malign you for it. Meaning they will actually call you evil for being good! Why? Why will the world hate you so much for wanting to do good?
It's because your good character exposes their deeds as evil. And that is something the world simply will not tolerate. Oh, our culture will preach a message of tolerance. They'll proclaim it from the highest radio, television, cellular, and internet towers. But they will not tolerate the truth, and they will do everything to suppress that they may continue in their unrighteousness without any feeling of guilt or shame or fear of judgment for their behavior.
In John 3:19, we read, "And this is the judgment: the Light," who is Christ, "has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
So let me ask you again—If you do not have enemies to love and pray for, why? I'm not saying you must have enemies in order to prove that you are saved. I want you to examine yourselves to see that you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). I'm also not telling you to act like a jerk and gain some enemies. We're being told to love our enemies, so deliberately antagonizing to stir up trouble would be contrary to the commandment of Christ here. If you don't have enemies against you for your faith, let me give you a few reasons that you may test yourself.
Could it be that the reason you don't have enemies is because nothing about you is actually different than the rest of the world? If you talk like the world, act like the world, and do all the things the world does, if you want the things the world has, if you believe the way the world believes, the world will love you because you are of this world. But that should greatly concern you, because James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
And that's not where you want to be. If you have enemies in this world, you are blessed. But if you are friends with this world, then your enemy is God. I think it goes without saying that it's better for you to have enemies in the world than it is to be an enemy of God.
Could another reason you don't have enemies be because you don't share your faith with the world? Does the world even know that you are a Christian? Is your faith nothing more than a bumper sticker on your car, a cross around your neck, or a t-shirt you might wear occasionally?
Look back at Matthew 5:13-16 where Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
If you follow Jesus, you walk a different path. Jesus will talk about that when we get to chapter 7—He says that following Him is the difficult narrow road, whereas most people walk the easy broad road. The narrow road is hard enough without people from the wide way attacking people who are walking the narrow way.
Your enemies may be a number of different people. They could be members of your own family. They could be someone you're married to. They might even be your parents or later in life your own children. They could be people you thought were your friends. They could be people that you go to work with. They could be random strangers. They could be Democrat or Republican. They might be conservative or liberal. They could be people whom you hand a tract to or share the gospel with. If you attend a church that is worldly, they might even be people from your own church.
But no matter who they are, you must love and pray for them. And here, Jesus gives us three reasons why. The first one I've already given to you. Look at verse 45: "So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." You may also read this, "So that you may be sons and daughters of your Father who is in heaven." So number 1: the first reason you love your enemy and pray for them is the biggest reason—it's because God has told you to.
Are you a son or a daughter of your Father in heaven? Prove it. Do what He says. Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. Understand that at one point you were an enemy of God. But God loved you and sent His Son to die for you so that all who believes in Him will no longer be an enemy of God, but you are a friend of God. And this is because of what God has done for you.
Romans 5:8-10 says, "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life."
"Love your enemies" is a very popular concept. I think we all want that, but it's something we want for someone else. The world will say, "You have to love your enemy, but I'm going to complain and ridicule and cry foul on all the people I don't like. And you can't criticize me for it because you have to love your enemy!"
My friends, if "Love your enemy" is a commandment other people have to follow but it doesn't apply to you, then you're not a follower of Jesus.
A second reason Jesus gives for loving your enemy is this, look at the rest of verse 45: "For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." This is one of the most central verses in Scripture where we find a declaration of God's common grace. Even those who do evil enjoy the blessings of God's creation, so you must be gracious toward them as well.
There are people in this world headed to heaven, and there are people headed to hell. And you don't determine who gets what—God does. Therefore, it is not for you to discriminate. Certainly, we must not discriminate because of color, race, creed, nationality, sex, age, accent, background, social class, style of clothing, or whether they're KU fans or K-State fans. But you cannot even discriminate against them if they are your enemies.
You must love one another, especially your enemies, for you were once as they were, walking as enemies of God in this world. You were once dead in your sins and your trespasses like the rest of mankind, as it says in Ephesians 2:1. But God showed mercy to you, someone preached the gospel to you, and by faith in Jesus you've been brought from death to life.
My friends, we cannot attack the mission field and then expect them to listen to us when we try to share the gospel with them. Several years back, we had a man here attending one of our adult Sunday school classes (I wasn't teaching in this class, it was someone else). At the start of class, he was complaining about his neighbor. Apparently, he and his neighbor quarreled about everything, including the height of his fence. This man was taking his neighbor to court because his fence was too high.
Then during class, the teacher was talking about sharing the gospel. And the man spoke up and said, "I've tried sharing the gospel with my neighbor, but he just won't listen to me. He's about as hateful and as spiteful toward Christianity as any atheist you've probably met."
After class was over, the teacher approached him and asked, "Is the neighbor you're taking to court because his fence is too high the same neighbor you're trying to share the gospel with?"
The man said, "Well, yes."
The teacher said, "Come with me. We need to have a little talk about loving your neighbor."
Remember last week, we read, "If anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." This command to love your enemy flows from that same commandment. Don't give worldly people a reason to hate you. We're supposed to be humble, merciful, pure-of-heart, peacemakers. Hebrews 12:14 says, "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
We're told in 2 Timothy 2:24-26, "The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being capture by him to do his will."
Pray that the Lord would turn their hearts to God. Prayer is the action of someone who loves his enemies. It's really difficult to hate someone you're praying for—unless you're praying imprecatory prayers from the Psalms, I guess: "Lord, break the teeth of the wicked!" Certainly there's a righteous way to desire this. Jesus called the Pharisees sons of hell producing more sons of hell (Matthew 23:15). Rebuking false teachers may need to be that harsh for the sake of defending the sheep who would be led astray.
But these words have their proper context. Don't look for excuses to not love your enemies. Jesus loved His enemies, and so should we. From the cross, Jesus looked at the Romans who had crucified Him, gambling for His garments, and He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
Is this a difficult command? You bet. But it is a distinguishing mark of a person who desires that the will of God be done over their own. This is the third reason Jesus gives for loving our enemies. Look at verse 46: "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" The tax collectors were crooked cheats, and yet it's effortless for them to love those who personally benefit them. You must love those who cannot personally benefit you, and in fact, in the case of your enemies, would probably desire to take from you.
Look at verse 47: "And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" Even wicked pagans know how to care for their own families. This is why the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 5:8, "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." You must love not only your family, but you must have compassion for those who hate you.
Charles Spurgeon has said, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that." In another place, he said, "The saving of souls, if a man has once gained love to perishing sinners, and love to his blessed Master, will be an all-absorbing passion to him. It will so carry him away, that he will almost forget himself in the saving of others. He will be like the stout, brave fireman, who careth not for the scorch or for the heat, so that he may rescue the poor creature on whom true humanity hath set his heart."
At last, we close Matthew 5 with this word in verse 48. This is the summary commandment of everything we've read from verse 21 to here: "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Romans 12:14-21 says, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
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43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 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." 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
We're looking today at the last portion of Matthew chapter 5, but we are only a third of the way through with our study of the Sermon on the Mount. Last week, I told you that in this chapter, Jesus addresses five statements that begin with, "You have heard that it was said." Technically, it's six statements, for verse 31 begins with the shorter form, "It was also said." Today, we look at the last of those statements, here in verse 43: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'"
Now, each one of these statements pertains to something we find in the Law of God. Verse 21 says, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'" That's right out of the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses. Likewise, Verse 27 says, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'" That's the seventh commandment. Jesus uses these two commandments to show people—just because you haven't committed these sins outright doesn't mean you're holy. If you hate your brother, you've murdered in your heart. If you lust for a woman, you've committed adultery in your heart.
In verse 31, Jesus states, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'" That was out of Deuteronomy 24. This wasn't a command to get divorced, but that's how the Pharisees had interpreted this, and that's what they were telling the Jewish men—you may divorce your wife for any reason as long as you give her a certificate of divorce. Jesus said, "No, that is wrong." Divorce is sin that begets sin. The point of the Law was to discourage divorce, but the Pharisees had twisted it to encourage divorce.
In verse 33, Jesus says, "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old," and this one pertained to how the Pharisees had twisted laws concerning swearing oaths. Instead, Jesus said let your yes be yes and your no be no; "anything more than this comes from evil."
Last week, we looked at verse 38: "You heave heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooh.'" This was the law of just or equal measures as we find from Exodus through Deuteronomy. The pharisees and the teachers of the law had twisted this to apply to absolutely everything. But Jesus says, "Don't make a federal case about everything." Do not escalate a conflict but turn the other cheek. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go the extra mile. "Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."
Now we get to the last of the "You have heard that it was said" statements, but this one is different than all the rest we've heard Jesus say thus far. Every other statement was a direct quote from the Law. But this one is not found in the Law at all: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' Where is that in the Law? No where. We've not read this statement in the Bible up to this point. So where did it come from? It came from the false teaching of the Pharisees.
What every one of these statements has in common is that these are all commandments the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law have taught falsely. They take actual commandments, and they twist them to mean something they don't actually mean. They also make up commandments that aren't actually commandments. "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy" is an example of that. In Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6, and in Revelation 22, we are told repeatedly: do not add to God's word, and do not take away from God's word. And that's exactly what the teachers of Israel were doing at the time of Christ.
I remind you again that in verse 17, Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." What Jesus taught after that was the Law, and there were people among the Jews who were apt to think that Jesus was teaching so differently than what they'd been taught by the Pharisees, Jesus is abolishing the Law! Certainly the Sadducees, the lawyers, the scribes, and the Pharisees all accused Jesus of that. But Jesus was saying here, "I'm not messing with the Law of God—they are."
Verses 18-20: "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
I've told you how the Pharisees would diminish the word of God to make His laws more attainable. But this is not the way we attain righteousness. Romans 3:21-22 says, "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." Again, the righteousness of God is by faith in Jesus Christ. If you have faith in Jesus, you do have a righteousness that exceeds the scribes and the pharisees.
But that is not to say the Law no longer applies, for Paul goes on in Romans 3:31 to say, "Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were not doing that. But we must. We must know the word of God that He has spoken, and we must desire to uphold it.
Here, our Savior, our Master, our King, commands us, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," so that you may be sons and daughters of your Father who is in heaven. Now again, as with last week, this doesn't pertain to civil laws imposed by civic governments. If a man kills another and he is found guilty of murder, he should receive a sentence of death. Protestors will stand outside the courthouse and proclaim, "Jesus said love your enemies!" This is not a reason to overthrow justice.
But rather, in your own personal experiences, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Remember back to what we read in the beatitudes: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Are we not reading the same thing here? "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Blessed are you with others revile you. Blessed are you. Do you believe that when others make fun of your or hate you for keeping the word of God? In 2 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul said, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities." I am content with them, "so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Last week I quoted to you from Peter, who said, "If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God" (1 Peter 2:20). Later on in the letter, he says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed."
Listen to this: "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Peter 4:12-14).
When you suffer for the name of Christ, do you rejoice and are you glad? If you are insulted for the name of Christ, do you consider yourself blessed? If you are, then your faith will be manifested in this obedience—you will love your enemies and you will pray for those who persecute you.
If you do not ever suffer for the name of Christ, can I ask you why? Why do you not endure hardship for the name of Christ? Jesus said we would be hated for His name. We just heard Jesus say here, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake… Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." In John 15:18, Jesus said, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."
In 2 Timothy 3:12, the Spirit says, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." All who desire godliness in Christ will be hated by the world. If you are not enduring any kind of backlash for your faith, can I ask you why?
Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that you have to be persecuted in order to be saved. But your salvation will have an effect. It will have an effect on you, and it will have an effect on others around you. It will have an effect on you in that being saved in the hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ will produce in you godliness.
We're told in 1 Timothy 6:3 that "the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ" is "teaching that accords with godliness." Meaning that your belief in the gospel and your love for the word of Christ will awaken within you a desire to be like Jesus, to be Christ-like, or to be holy as God is holy. Jumping to Jesus' last statement here in Matthew 5:48, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This is the desire for godliness.
As you progress in your Christian walk, you will grow in godliness. Another word for this is sanctification, from the Latin word "sanctus," meaning "holy." It is the process of growing in Christ-likeness. You who are justified by His grace are being sanctified by His grace. You came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for your sins, and give you victory over the grave and citizenship in His eternal kingdom. This faith changed you, and it continues to change you. You no longer walk in your old sinful ways, and you're still wanting to put off your earthly self as you long for the kingdom of heaven where God is. This is how salvation has an effect on you.
But it also has an effect on the people around you. This can be positive and it can be negative. For some, it will have a positive effect. They will see the change that has happened in you, and they will love it. You are a different person. When the Bible says take off the old and put on the new, they can look at you and they can see that. You've changed for the better. The old sinful man or woman has been raised from spiritual deadness to a new life pursuing godly character, moral goodness, sacrificial love, with grace, generosity, and forgiveness toward others as God has given these things to you. You speak kindly of others. You are a servant to others. You are at peace with others. Who would not find that to be instantly attractive?
But this effect on others can also be negative. Some people will actually hate your moral character, and the more godly you become, the more they hate you. Even though you have come to know that you are a wretched sinner in need of a Savior, and that you have no good apart from Christ, they will accuse you of being self-righteous.
In Christ, your beliefs have changed, your speech has changed, your actions have changed. Your desires, your orientations, your ambitions—all of these things have changed. All for the good if it is in the righteousness and the character of Christ. And that is why people are going to hate you for it. You are not of this world. Your attitudes and behaviors are completely foreign to worldly people.
We're told in 1 Peter 4:4 that they're even surprised when you don't join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they will malign you for it. Meaning they will actually call you evil for being good! Why? Why will the world hate you so much for wanting to do good?
It's because your good character exposes their deeds as evil. And that is something the world simply will not tolerate. Oh, our culture will preach a message of tolerance. They'll proclaim it from the highest radio, television, cellular, and internet towers. But they will not tolerate the truth, and they will do everything to suppress that they may continue in their unrighteousness without any feeling of guilt or shame or fear of judgment for their behavior.
In John 3:19, we read, "And this is the judgment: the Light," who is Christ, "has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
So let me ask you again—If you do not have enemies to love and pray for, why? I'm not saying you must have enemies in order to prove that you are saved. I want you to examine yourselves to see that you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). I'm also not telling you to act like a jerk and gain some enemies. We're being told to love our enemies, so deliberately antagonizing to stir up trouble would be contrary to the commandment of Christ here. If you don't have enemies against you for your faith, let me give you a few reasons that you may test yourself.
Could it be that the reason you don't have enemies is because nothing about you is actually different than the rest of the world? If you talk like the world, act like the world, and do all the things the world does, if you want the things the world has, if you believe the way the world believes, the world will love you because you are of this world. But that should greatly concern you, because James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
And that's not where you want to be. If you have enemies in this world, you are blessed. But if you are friends with this world, then your enemy is God. I think it goes without saying that it's better for you to have enemies in the world than it is to be an enemy of God.
Could another reason you don't have enemies be because you don't share your faith with the world? Does the world even know that you are a Christian? Is your faith nothing more than a bumper sticker on your car, a cross around your neck, or a t-shirt you might wear occasionally?
Look back at Matthew 5:13-16 where Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
If you follow Jesus, you walk a different path. Jesus will talk about that when we get to chapter 7—He says that following Him is the difficult narrow road, whereas most people walk the easy broad road. The narrow road is hard enough without people from the wide way attacking people who are walking the narrow way.
Your enemies may be a number of different people. They could be members of your own family. They could be someone you're married to. They might even be your parents or later in life your own children. They could be people you thought were your friends. They could be people that you go to work with. They could be random strangers. They could be Democrat or Republican. They might be conservative or liberal. They could be people whom you hand a tract to or share the gospel with. If you attend a church that is worldly, they might even be people from your own church.
But no matter who they are, you must love and pray for them. And here, Jesus gives us three reasons why. The first one I've already given to you. Look at verse 45: "So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." You may also read this, "So that you may be sons and daughters of your Father who is in heaven." So number 1: the first reason you love your enemy and pray for them is the biggest reason—it's because God has told you to.
Are you a son or a daughter of your Father in heaven? Prove it. Do what He says. Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. Understand that at one point you were an enemy of God. But God loved you and sent His Son to die for you so that all who believes in Him will no longer be an enemy of God, but you are a friend of God. And this is because of what God has done for you.
Romans 5:8-10 says, "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life."
"Love your enemies" is a very popular concept. I think we all want that, but it's something we want for someone else. The world will say, "You have to love your enemy, but I'm going to complain and ridicule and cry foul on all the people I don't like. And you can't criticize me for it because you have to love your enemy!"
My friends, if "Love your enemy" is a commandment other people have to follow but it doesn't apply to you, then you're not a follower of Jesus.
A second reason Jesus gives for loving your enemy is this, look at the rest of verse 45: "For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." This is one of the most central verses in Scripture where we find a declaration of God's common grace. Even those who do evil enjoy the blessings of God's creation, so you must be gracious toward them as well.
There are people in this world headed to heaven, and there are people headed to hell. And you don't determine who gets what—God does. Therefore, it is not for you to discriminate. Certainly, we must not discriminate because of color, race, creed, nationality, sex, age, accent, background, social class, style of clothing, or whether they're KU fans or K-State fans. But you cannot even discriminate against them if they are your enemies.
You must love one another, especially your enemies, for you were once as they were, walking as enemies of God in this world. You were once dead in your sins and your trespasses like the rest of mankind, as it says in Ephesians 2:1. But God showed mercy to you, someone preached the gospel to you, and by faith in Jesus you've been brought from death to life.
My friends, we cannot attack the mission field and then expect them to listen to us when we try to share the gospel with them. Several years back, we had a man here attending one of our adult Sunday school classes (I wasn't teaching in this class, it was someone else). At the start of class, he was complaining about his neighbor. Apparently, he and his neighbor quarreled about everything, including the height of his fence. This man was taking his neighbor to court because his fence was too high.
Then during class, the teacher was talking about sharing the gospel. And the man spoke up and said, "I've tried sharing the gospel with my neighbor, but he just won't listen to me. He's about as hateful and as spiteful toward Christianity as any atheist you've probably met."
After class was over, the teacher approached him and asked, "Is the neighbor you're taking to court because his fence is too high the same neighbor you're trying to share the gospel with?"
The man said, "Well, yes."
The teacher said, "Come with me. We need to have a little talk about loving your neighbor."
Remember last week, we read, "If anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." This command to love your enemy flows from that same commandment. Don't give worldly people a reason to hate you. We're supposed to be humble, merciful, pure-of-heart, peacemakers. Hebrews 12:14 says, "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
We're told in 2 Timothy 2:24-26, "The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being capture by him to do his will."
Pray that the Lord would turn their hearts to God. Prayer is the action of someone who loves his enemies. It's really difficult to hate someone you're praying for—unless you're praying imprecatory prayers from the Psalms, I guess: "Lord, break the teeth of the wicked!" Certainly there's a righteous way to desire this. Jesus called the Pharisees sons of hell producing more sons of hell (Matthew 23:15). Rebuking false teachers may need to be that harsh for the sake of defending the sheep who would be led astray.
But these words have their proper context. Don't look for excuses to not love your enemies. Jesus loved His enemies, and so should we. From the cross, Jesus looked at the Romans who had crucified Him, gambling for His garments, and He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
Is this a difficult command? You bet. But it is a distinguishing mark of a person who desires that the will of God be done over their own. This is the third reason Jesus gives for loving our enemies. Look at verse 46: "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" The tax collectors were crooked cheats, and yet it's effortless for them to love those who personally benefit them. You must love those who cannot personally benefit you, and in fact, in the case of your enemies, would probably desire to take from you.
Look at verse 47: "And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" Even wicked pagans know how to care for their own families. This is why the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 5:8, "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." You must love not only your family, but you must have compassion for those who hate you.
Charles Spurgeon has said, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that." In another place, he said, "The saving of souls, if a man has once gained love to perishing sinners, and love to his blessed Master, will be an all-absorbing passion to him. It will so carry him away, that he will almost forget himself in the saving of others. He will be like the stout, brave fireman, who careth not for the scorch or for the heat, so that he may rescue the poor creature on whom true humanity hath set his heart."
At last, we close Matthew 5 with this word in verse 48. This is the summary commandment of everything we've read from verse 21 to here: "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Romans 12:14-21 says, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
