Love Beyond Limits Series

Love beyond Limits

Matthew 5: 43-48

As we close out the fifth chapter of Matthew, we are getting close to the midway point of the great sermon Jesus preached. For the past several weeks we have considered various contrasts Jesus made regarding time honored traditions and the reality of what God genuinely desires. The focus of this final contrast is love.

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to know that love is one of the most prominent attributes of the Lord. 1 John 4:8 – He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. Mat.22:37-40 – 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. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. If we are to be like God and follow His desire for our lives, we must love as God commands.

Just as it was in Jesus’ day, many have a perception of love, but it is not love as God commands. Much of what we see today described as love does not fit the biblical model for love. In this final contrast Jesus reveals how we are to love. I want to examine the truths our Lord describes as we consider: Love Beyond Limits.

I. The Custom Mentioned (43) – Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. Notice:

A. The Tradition – Ye have heard that it hath been said. Jesus once again addressed what they had heard said of others. He was dealing with the oral traditions many held with the same regard as the Scriptures. The Jews held a strict adherence to the law of God, but they also had developed a second code based on tradition that was followed as closely as God’s law. Much of that tradition was more of man’s preference and opinion than God’s will for humanity.

Jesus emphasized their tradition many times in His sermon and we need to be mindful of tradition as well. I am not opposed to tradition; in many cases it is fine. However, we must ensure all we do is in accordance with the Word and not simply the desires of men.

B. The Truth – Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor. Jesus emphasized one of the greatest truths in all of Scripture. We dealt with that in the introduction. This is not a suggestion of the Lord; He fully expects us to love our neighbor.

C. The Tragedy – Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. This tragedy is actually two-fold. First of all, it speaks of a limited love. It seems as if the Pharisees were promoting a selfish love, offered to those viewed in a favorable light. They taught they were to love those who were close to them, but there was no encouragement to extend that same love to those outside their realm of influence. We know that is not what the Lord desires. We are to love all men. Jesus illustrated what constitutes our “neighbor” with the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Illustrate)

Secondly, and most tragic, they were teaching a doctrine that was not based on fact. There is nothing in the Scripture that teaches we are to hate our enemies. Apparently, the religious leaders, down through the generations, sought a means to justify their hatred.

We still face this tragedy today. I have heard many say, “The Bible says…,” when in fact the Bible does not say that. Christians are responsible to know what the Bible says. Much error is promoted based on what we’ve heard all our lives. Search the Scriptures to see and know!

II. The Correction Made (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; Once again Jesus corrected the error that had been handed down. He spoke of love as God would have us love. It is:

A. Unconditional Love – But I say unto you, Love your enemies. Rather than hating our enemies, we are to love them. If we are to love as God loves, we must be willing to love unconditionally, even showing love to those whom we think are undeserving. Nothing will bear witness of Christ better than unconditional love. People can’t refute love, especially when it is perceived as undeserved or unmerited. (Isn’t that how God has shown His love? We certainly did not deserve it and yet He loved us!)