Living In The Kingdom Part 12 Series

Living in the Kingdom 12

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48; 7:12; Leviticus 19:18; James 4:17

In my message last week I shared with you what Jesus said about turning the other cheek and going the extra mile without being asked. Jesus said that we are to have a disposition that chooses to not seek revenge or return the evil that we sometimes receive. He expressly said that while they had been taught “an eye for an eye”, that was not how He wanted us to walk. His desire is that we are always ready to show love and goodness despite what people might be doing to us – even our enemies. What Jesus said last week about turning the other cheek and going the extra mile is a lead in to what He had to say about how we should treat our enemies. This morning we will complete the fifth chapter of Matthew with the words Jesus spoke about how we should treat our enemies. This is part twelve of my series “Living in the Kingdom.”

Please turn to Matthew 5:43-48. In these verses Jesus once again makes the statement “You have heard that it has been said…” which tells us immediately that once again He will be contrasting what they had learned and taught from the law with “laws of the kingdom of heaven.” Let’s begin reading at verse forty-three. “You have heard that it has been said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you. 45That you may be the children of your Father Who is in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love them who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors the same? 47And if you greet your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the tax collectors so? 48Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father Who is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” The command to love their neighbor was a law of God. Now, because they were commanded to love their neighbor and not their enemies, the Jews extrapolated that it was okay (or commanded) that they hate their enemy. They supposed that if they loved the one, they must, of course, hate the other. They were total strangers to the thought that they were required to love both. In this verse from Leviticus, a neighbor was literally someone that lived near them; one that was near to them by acts of kindness and friendship. When Jesus spoke however, He totally changed how they were thinking about whom they were to love.

Jesus says we are to love our enemies. One definition of enemy applicable for this message today is “somebody who hates or seeks to harm somebody or something.” Per the definition, an enemy is not someone that we choose to think about doing anything for. As a matter of fact, if we think about them at all it is not with a thought of helping them as Paul said in Romans chapter twelve which we read last week. As it relates to enemies, someone can love you today and be your enemy next week. Think about it, how many of you had a dear friend who is now your enemy? I have been there, more times than I care to remember and it hurts when your friend that you counted amongst your family becomes an enemy. Being an enemy is an interesting thing. Let me share with you the two most prevalent types of enemies. First there is the enemy who never liked us (and we never liked them in return) although we may or may not have ever really known why. Next there is the enemy that is borne out of a relationship that has gone bad. Let’s examine these two in more detail.

The first enemy is one that we may not have ever had a relationship with and do not know personally. We “feel” that this person does not like us and therefore we dislike them in return. They could be friends with our other enemies and therefore have chosen not to be friends of ours. In this situation, neither I, nor my enemy, know one another in great detail, but for some strange reason there is this dislike between us. Neither of us knows how or why we became enemies, but we know that we are. Each of us acts and treats the other as if we were enemies so even the most harmless of actions are interpreted as being hostile. If you have someone of this nature in your life, try doing an experiment. Try smiling and speaking to them whenever possible instead of frowning and see what happens. See how long it takes for them to start smiling back and being less hostile to you. I remember several years ago when Willis, Stacey and I visited some people who were in the hospital. One of the individuals we visited was someone Willis knew from a previous job - someone who did not necessarily like him. This woman’s heart changed towards Willis after he had previously visited her in the hospital and prayed for her. She had been surprised that he had actually visited her and that he cared enough to pray for her. Based on Willis’ actions, her heart changed toward him and the next time we visited her face lit up when we walked into her hospital room to pray for her. She was no longer an enemy of Willis.