Love Your Enemies Series

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

(REVISED: 2019)

TEXT: Matthew 5:43-47

Earlier this year we looked at the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Book of Matthew & considered what Jesus was saying in Matthew 5:38-41.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

"And if someone wants to sue you & take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”

Now we have already discussed those verses, so let’s proceed on from there & look at verses 43-47 where Jesus says,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

“He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

“And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

These words of Jesus are some of His most difficult for us to under¬stand. Is it really possible or desirable to obey what He is telling us to do here?

We are also a bit puzzled by them because in other scriptures we are told "to resist evil, & hate the evil things of this world." Yet, here we are told to "love our enemies."

Yet we look at Jesus & see Him knotting the cords, & driving the moneychangers out of the temple, & we think, "Was He practicing what He preached? Did He really love those people that He was driving out of the temple?

ILL. What about some of the evil people of today? What about ISIS, & Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, & the hatred that they express for the U.S.? Are we supposed to love them?

Are we to love all the evil people? If someone comes to my house to steal my TV, should I say, "Help yourself, & take my couch too"?

Just exactly what is Jesus teaching here when He says that we are to "turn the other cheek, go the 2nd mile, & love our enemies”?

PROP. Well, to begin with, I want us, this morning, to notice the things Jesus probably did not mean when He said, "Love your enemies." Then I want us to look at some of the things He did mean.

I. WHAT IS JESUS NOT SAYING WHEN HE SAYS "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES?"

Now let’s consider what Jesus is not saying when He says, "Love your ene¬mies."

A. First of all, I don't believe this commandment is a "legalistic" commandment. Now, I want you to understand what I am saying. I don't think He means for us to take these words & apply them in a legalistic way. If we did, we would have to do certain things only if certain other things happened first.

For example, when was the last time someone hit you on the right cheek? How long has it been since someone took your tunic? How long has it been since someone compelled you to go with him for a mile? Probably not recently, if ever at all.

You see, I think what Jesus is doing here is giving us "windows" through which we can see the quality of love that He desires His followers to have.

We might do all of these things - go the second mile turn the other cheek even give our coat & still not have the quality of love that Jesus wants us to have.

But these are windows that we can look through & see the nature of Christ's love, & the love that we, too, are to have as His people.

B. Secondly, I don't believe that Jesus is saying that we are to love just our enemies. He doesn't tell us to love our friends. He doesn't have to, because we love our friends, anyway.

What He is doing is picking out the most extreme case & saying, "Here are your enemies. I say to you, love them as well as your friends."

In other words, Jesus is saying, "There should be no limit on your love. You are to love everybody, even your enemies."

C. Thirdly, I don't believe that Jesus is saying that we must like our ene¬mies. This is rather important for us to understand, because usually love follows "liking" someone.