“CHRISTIAN LOVE”
“A Higher Calling”
Mt. 5:43-48
Fr. Christopher M. Nerreau
Introduction: (READ PASSAGE)
• One of the most difficult things about love is that it leaves us vulnerable. When we open our hearts to anyone or anything, when we let something in, we have also opened ourselves to the possibility of great pain and sorrow. For truly, one cannot love without putting the heart in jeopardy.
• Now I suspect most of us have experienced the pain of a broken heart. We have lost the ones we loved to bitter divorce, illness or even death. Each time making it more difficult to open our hearts the next.
• And over time we find ourselves very cautious about who we allow into our hearts. Usually those who find our hearts are those who love us first, those whom we find little reason to think will hurt us, those who go out of their way to give us great reason to love them.
Proposition: But to be a Christian we are called to love at a higher level. We are to love not only those who love us but those who hate us.
Interrogative sentence: Today I want to ask you a question – “from who are you withholding your love today?”
Sermon Preview: In our passage today Jesus, teaching on personal relationships, does what He does best, goes after the heart over the issue of love. Today Christ is going to go after your heart as He teaches you:
1. The Rule For Christian Love (v. 44)
2. The Reason For Christian Love (v. 45b, 48)
3. The Reward For Christian Love (45a)
Transitional Sentence: Jesus begins by teaching us about …
I. THE RULE FOR CHRISTIAN LOVE (v.44)
Explanation: Jesus makes it clear that it is not only those who do us well that we are to love but those who are not exactly lovely as well.
THE BIBLE SAYS – Mt 5:44 “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Illustration:
• The Orthodox Study Bible notes the story of a monk who walked in on bandits who were robbing him of what little he had. When the bandits had left the only thing they left behind was his walking stick. The monk pursued them for many days until he caught up with them and then gave them his walking stick as also. Cut to the heart these bandits returned all his possessions and converted to Christ.
• This is what Jesus meant, to love our enemies, to PURSUE those who seek to do us harm and show them kindness.
A. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES?
o Jesus understood that evil is not overcome by more evil and violence is not overcome by violence. Evil is overcome by GOOD and goodness cannot be found apart from love.
o Love – Not a feeling but a choice, a decision of the will. Jesus chooses to pray for His assailants.
• Who are My Enemies - A hostile or antagonistic person who stands either against you or in your way. An enemy is one who seeks your demise, seeks your suffering, and takes pleasure in it.
• To this one Christ calls us to show pity, charity, kindness and long suffering.
B. PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU
• C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you ’love’ your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”
• One of the greatest acts of love one can give is to pray. Praying for our enemies’ changes us, it costs us, it hurts but it refines us and causes us to see in our aggressor the very image of the God we love.
• Just as prayer is a choice, so is the love that drives it. Love is not a feeling it is a decision! It is a choice of the volitional will and the feeling follow it.
• Jesus said – (v. 46-47) “If you love those who love you what reward will you get? Don’t even pagans do that?” Christians are called into an area where we open our hearts to the very people who seek us harm.
• FORGIVE ENEMIES BUT DO WHAT JUSTICE DEMANDS: Because we forgive does not meant that we subvert justice. A person who murders should be forgiven and also should go to jail.
Application:
o And so we find that the rule of Christian love moves beyond “ME”, my wants, my needs, my concerns, my fears. Rather the rule of Christian love is to set others apart as more important that even our own selves. As Jesus said Mt. 16:25 – “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
o Today who do you hate? Who do you withhold your love from? Who do you need to call, who do you need to forgive, who has hurt you?
o The rule of Christian love is demonstrated in selfless acts of charity toward those who don’t deserve it.
o Who doesn’t deserve your love today? Who is not worthy of it?
Transitional Sentence: So we see the rule of Christian love now let’s see…
II. THE REASON FOR CHRISTIAN LOVE (v.45b, 48)
Explanation: So we clearly see the rule Jesus has established for us regarding Christian love, but why? Why does Jesus want us to love our enemies?
• Our passage illumines the reasons for us…
THE BIBLE SAYS –
• (v.45b) “He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.”
• (v. 48) “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
We Are To Love Because God Loves
• We are called to love with a Christian love because that is how God loves.
o Romans 5:6 “Christ died for the ungodly.”
• The Christian journey is one of (Theosis) or becoming like God. The process of growing in the likeness of God.
o As such the most important step we can take on this journey is to learn to love like God loves.
• (v. 48) We are called to be “perfect” as God is “perfect”. Perfection in this sense is rooted in Perfect love.
o In other words we are to grow in the perfection of God by growing in the perfection of love.
• Illustration: In our passage Jesus shows us what He means when He say’s – (v.45b) “He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.” God blesses those who love and those who curse Him.
Application:
• The reason God calls us to love our enemies is because HE LOVES THEM.
• If you struggle to forgive, to love those who have hurt you, remember just how much you have hurt God and ask yourself – “Do I want God to love me?”
• 1 John 4:20 – “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
• I once heard it said – You only love God as much as the person you love least. This is a difficult thing to consider…
Transitional Sentence: So we have seen the rule of Christian love and the Reason for Christian love, finally lets look at…
III. THE REWARD OF CHRISTAIN LOVE (v. 45a)
Explanation: Understanding that loving those who hate and persecute us is a very difficult thing to do, the logical question that follows is this – “What’s in it for me?”
THE BIBLE SAYS – (v.45a) “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
• The reward that is promised is that we will be Children of God.
• We are allowed full access to Our Father in Heaven. We are given all the benefits of the Kingdom of God.
• Romans 8:16 – “ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
• We must suffer with Him in loving the unlovely in order to be glorified with Him.
Illustration: How often do you receipt the “Lord’s Prayer”? have you ever seriously considered the very first two words of the prayer?
o “OUR FATHER”
Is God your Father, really? Do you Listen to “Our Father”? Do you even care that God desires to be “OUR FATHER?”
o IF God is your Father then listen to His voice - Mt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called Sons of God.”
• The reward of God for being a peacemaker, one who through love and concern for others brings Christ to a broken world, is SONSHIP.
• The apostle Paul reminds us that as Sons and Daughters of God we can approach Him as our “Abba”, “Father.” A sign of sweet intimate relationship.
CONCLUSION:
• I began this sermon by saying – “As Christians we are called to a higher level of love.”
o But the bible also teaches us that we “Cannot love until we have been loved.”
• So I ask you – Does this sermon seem impossible to you? Do you think to yourself, IMPOSSIBLE I CANNOT DO IT!
• If so then I want you to ask yourself this question – “Have I allowed God to love me?” Have I invited Christ into my heart?
o If not then pray silently along with me – “Jesus, I desire to love as you loved but it seems impossible. Forgive me of my sins, come into my heart and reveal Your love for me, that I may love my enemy.”
• In order to forgive we must first recognize just how much we have been forgiven ourselves. Ask God to show you who your are but make sure to ask Him to be gentle as you are weak.
Restate Main Points: Today we have seen
1. The Rule For Christian Love (v. 44)
2. The Reason For Christian Love (v. 45b, 48)
3. The Reward For Christian Love (45a)
Final Illustration:
Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, who lived in Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Pennsylvania also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. One day Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor.
"No, Peter," General Washington said. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend."
"My friend!" exclaimed the old preacher. "He’s the bitterest enemy I have."
"What?" cried Washington. "You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I’ll grant your pardon." And he did.
Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Pennsylvania --no longer an enemy but a friend.
Amen!
