Matthew 22:34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 One of them, an expert in Moses’ Teachings, tested Jesus by asking, 36 "Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses’ Teachings?" 37 Jesus answered him, "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and most important commandment. 39 The second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’
TITLE: FOUR STEPS TO LOVING YOUR ENEMY
BODY:
In the verses listed above I found four steps that you must take before you can be able to love your enemies. I told someone once that Christ commands that we love our enimies and the reply was I have not yet reached the point where I can do that. I asked, "why?" The answer was simple, This person could not forgive the things that he preceived being done to him. Yet, he could quote the verses in {Matthew 6:14} and {15}(For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.) word for word and never skip a beat.
How many times as humans do we know what is right but do what is wrong. Paul in his letter to the Romans made it clear that he struggled with this very issue. Jesus always made it a point to tell a story to get his point accross. He was the greatest siminary teacher that ever lived. I take no exception to this, I like to use a lot of illustrations to get my point across. My first is going to seem a little common sense to most but I feel it drives this point home. In the above story where forgivness is an issue I liken it to a person that is putting a swing set together for the first time, for his children. He has read and understood all of the directions and has everthing in place, the parts are ready, the tools are ready, and he is psyched up for the task. He chooses to do it his own way and ignore the instructions. What do you think happened? The possibility that this swing set will look like the picture on the box is highly improbable. Not impossible. I have taken on tasks in the past and thought I knew a better way to complete them. The process usually caused a lot frustration and parts of the task having to be redone. We know what Jesus commanded us to do but we choose to do it our own way. We would rather take our chances at heavenly peace and hold our little grudges against those who do us wrong. (That is yet another Sermon)
In reading the Scripture for this sermon what would you guess is step number 1? 37 Jesus answered him, "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ The first step is loving God.
Loving God has to be first, because without God there is no love. Look again at the verse, there are actually three parts that you should devote to loving. Your Heart, your soul, and your mind. Most of us can love with our heart and if you are really happy in your marriage you know how to love with your soul. A lot of us like to love with our mouth. You know the routine, Your mouth can say, "I love you." and your heart is looking off in another direction, while your soul is wondering if this will fullfill your obligation, and you mind is saying, "yeah right." It is difficult, I have found, to get all three to work in unison. But, as followers of Christ we need to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. The way I do this is to clear my mind of all that is happening around me, Then I meditate on connecting to God mentally and spiritually. I repeat, "God I love You" or "Jesus I love You" And if you can be effective with drowning all outside influence out you will feel a connection to God. Your spirit will connect with the Holy Spirit. I can feel when this happens. It may take a little practice for you but, you will know it when it happens. You do this often enough and number 1 you will know how to connect to God and stay connected. Number two your total love for Him will grow. Your total love for God will then lead to the second, third and fourth step to loving your enemies.
Step number two is found in verse 39 [The second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’], actually you will find the rest of the steps in this verse. The question is how do you love your neighbor? The answer is as you love yourself. Step two is to love yourself. I have come into contact in my life time with a number of types of people. I have often wondered how they could abuse themselves and still be satisfied with who they were. Then I realized that they were not. I am an alcoholic, I have not had a drink in over 19 years. When I was drinking I did not think that I was doing anything to hurt myself. I thought it was natural to have your mind fried before 4PM everyday and sometime fried for weeks at a time. But, In the worst part of my illness I spent 5 years in a blacked out state. I remember very little about that five years. I sobered up on the 14 of June 1986 to a wrecked life on it’s way to prison. Not just any prison but to a military prison. I was slated to go to Leavenworth, but for the grace of God, I did not. I committed a crime that I thought was the most unrepentable sin that I could do. Even after I sobered up I could not forgive myself for what I had become. I poured myself out to God and asked for forgiveness from God Then the ones I had hurt. I hated myself. But, God showed me how to start loving myself. Today I have no need for alcohol. I have no need to get High. I have been known to get high on Jesus. But, I don’t need anything other than my spirit mingled with the Holy Spirit to achieve that feeling.
The key to loving yourself is in the way you choose to love God. If you know that you love God, and you know that your salvation comes from God and not you. Or if you realize you are made perfect through the love that God showed for you. Then you can begin to love yourself in a way that is not considered selfish. If you learn to love yourself then you can start loving your neighbors. That is step three.
In the third step you have come to love those around you. ( neighbors). Have you ever had a friend that you could tell all to and not worry about what would happen to your relationship with that person. I have a friend (beside my wife) that I know if I talk to him my wories are held to the highest confidence. I know Jesus Meets this criteria but, I am talking about a friend with skin on him. I have a friend named Ken who was like more than a brother. I am not afraid to tell him that I love him. Although we are seperated by miles we still can talk and be there for each other. Ken and I never failed to express our love for each other no matter who was present. Everyone should have a friend like this. We were not gay but we always hugged before we departed our ways, and I don’t mean the grab slap on the back hug that most people do. This kind of love for your friend is a love that God wants. He wants you to put you heart in it. I really miss Ken, But I still talk to him on the phone. This kind of love is an all forgiving love. We could say silly things about each other and know that neither one of us was serious about what we said. Ken did not know Jesus when I met him. He even went as far as to tell me he didn’t want to hear any of that Jesus stuff. I never preached to him. I did however let him overhear me praiseing God for all things. I even told him about our church service and how much fun we had that Sunday. His curiosity got the best of him. It started with him listening to a local Christian radio network. One day he came into our shared office and said, "Bob, I did it." I said, "what?" He said, " today I accepted Jesus into my life, and I have you to blame." I got up and hugged him and we prayed together. That was a beginning we always prayed together. When he and his wife recommitted themselves to each other, I performed the ceremony. We had it in his back yard.
Isn’t God great? We can have friends that love us back and that makes it easy to love them. What about those people that we are commanded to love, because they are our neighbors. What about the ones that say to you don’t give me any of that Jesus stuff! What about those that ridicule your for going to church every Sunday? How do you love them? The real question for step four is how can you not? When Jesus died he died for the sins of the world, not just your sins and my sins, but for the sins of the world. ALL SIN HAS BEEN PAID FOR!!!!!!!!! Therefore every person in the world has the opportunity to become children of God. None of them will be perfect except through the Blood. People are different if everyone were exactly the same how boring would this world be. We are molded each one by the hand of God. Each one of us is special to God. Everybody is special to God in his/her own unique way. So if we pick and choose who we will love and who we will not, we are putting our selfishness before our love for God? This takes us back to step one.
When we choose not to love a person or group of persons we are in a sense saying we are better than God. I am typing this knowing that I was never really good at this kind of love. I held grudges for a long time, I even went as far as to imagine what I would do to those persons. I would fantisize the cruel things I would do. There was no way I was going to learn to love these people with out the love that Jesus gives. Jesus gives us love for the sole purpose of giving it away to others. Jesus softened my heart so that I could see that every person has their own mold. that we are not all alike. Those differences are what we need to learn to understand. Sometimes I realize Jesus soften my heart a little to much. I was given some fish by a friend. The fish still had all of its parts, head, eyes, fins,..... you get the picture. As I was defrosting the fish I felt sorry for it. I actually felt sad because it had to die. I get all teary eyed when I see a little animal get hit by a car. When I was in high school I would veer my car so I could hit them. This change could only come through the out pouring of love from Jesus.
So lets review; Step 1 we must first love God. Step 2 we must then love ourself. Step 3 we must love those whoe love us back. then four we must love those who do not an might never love us back. The hurricane that hit Mississippi and Louisiana left a lot of destruction in it’s wake no one can deny that. Have you noticed the love poured out by others wanting to help. These people don’t expect to be loved in return they only want to help. That is love with out return. I don’t care if you love me, I love you.
I would like to close by reading St. Lukes interpretation of Jesus’ command found inLuke 6:27-35
{Luke 6:27} But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
{28 }Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.{29 }And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.{30} Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. {31}And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.{32}For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.{}And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.{34}And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.{35}But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
