TEXT: Matthew 5:43-48

SUBJECT: Love Your Enemies

Today, with God’s blessing, we’ll have a look at the hardest commandment the Lord ever gave. It’s not hard to understand; it’s hard to obey. In fact, it’s more than hard. Left to ourselves, it is impossible to obey. But thankfully, we’re not left to ourselves. Believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He gives us the will and the power to obey the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s come to it, therefore in both humility and faith.

Before we get into the commandment itself, let’s remember Who gave it. The Sermon on the Mount was preached by Jesus Christ.

That means the commandment has Authority. Those who first heard it felt the power and majesty of His words.

We may underestimate the scribes. We think of them as religious buffoons. They weren’t. They were first-rate scholars and powerful public speakers. The people respected their scribes; they were honored with titles, bowed down to, and always given the best seats at every dinner party.

Yet no scribe ever spoke with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. But of course they didn’t. At their best they commented on the Word of God. He spoke the Word of God, Hebrews 1:1.

Let’s remember that. It is not a Pharisee, not a Legalist, not a Puritan, but Jesus Christ telling us to love our enemies.

When the Lord said, "Love your enemies", who was He talking to? The first verse says He was speaking to "the multitudes".

Who were they? I suppose they were like any other big group of people. There was a mixture of people there. Some were serious-minded men, eager to find God’s way. Others were more curious than committed. They wanted to hear the celebrated Rabbi, but that’s all. Some were hostile; they came to snicker or mock or interrupt Him. Others were there, hoping to get a free meal. In any event, it was a "mixed multitude" that heard Christ that day.

The Lord spoke in their hearing, of course, but He had a more select audience in mind. They were people who didn’t want to be like "the tax collectors" (or, Publicans), cf. vv.46-47.

They were gangsters. They worked for the Romans and got rich by cheating, stealing, and blackmailing their own people. To the Jew of that time, "Publican" was a four-letter word. Nobody wanted to be a Publican. Even the publicans didn’t! They were born into the job and could not avoid the stigma.

The people our Lord was talking to also didn’t want to be a "Pharisee" (or, Hypocrite), cf. v.20. In one sense, these men were the opposite of the Publicans. But deep down, they were identical. The Pharisees

They were crooks, too. Respectable crooks, but crooks nonetheless.

The people the Lord had in mind feared God and wanted to serve Him from the heart.

Does that describe you? I know you’re a long ways from perfect, but do you fear the Lord? Do you want to serve Him? Really? Sincerely? If so, the commandment is for you.

Now, let’s take a look at it. The key word is "love". It is a command, an ongoing command. The Lord never asks us to love others. He commands it.

That means: If you’re not loving others, you are disobeying the Lord. I know you have a good reason for it. Maybe you didn’t grow up in a loving family; maybe others are hard to love; maybe you’ve been hurt when you’ve tried to love others, and so on.

I accept your reasons. To me they’re rock solid. But, of course, you’re not answerable to me. You’re answerable to Jesus Christ. Everyone has a "good reason" to disobey the Lord. But, did you know, these good reasons are never called "reasons"? You know what they’re called? Luke 14:18 says,

You know what an excuse is? It’s a phony reason! And every reason you give to not love others is an excuse.

What kind of "love" does the Lord command? C.S. Lewis wrote a very fine book called The Four Loves. He thought every love was either affection, friendship, romance, or devotion. I agree with his categories, but I wish he would have added more. "Love" is as varied as the objects on which it is set. There are as many "sorts" of love as there are things loved, it seems to me.

What kind of love is the Lord calling for here?

It’s not approval that He has in mind. Some love approves of its object, admires it, maybe even adores it. That’s how I feel about my wife. But that’s not the love spoken of here. How could it be? How could any Christian admire wickedness?

The love He calls for can be described as Good Will.

It’s the attitude that "blesses" other people rather than cussing them out to their faces or talking behind their backs.

It’s the spirit that "does good" to others rather than mistreating them or ignoring them.

It’s the thing that "prays" for others rather than praying against them or leaving them out of your prayers.

Let me add one more thing. It’s not in the text, but it’s perfectly consistent with the Sermon on the Mount and the whole teaching of the Bible. And that is, it is the attitude that thinks well of others rather than feeling malice toward them or holding a grudge.

Love, therefore, is both positive and negative. It doesn’t do some things (e.g., beat, curse, or resent others). It does other things (e.g., wish others well and show them kindness).

A pastor I know underscores the negative part of love. He has said, very often, that if we don’t mistreat others, we’re fulfilling our duties toward them. He quotes Romans 13:10 to support his case.

Now, I agree with Romans 13:10 as well as he does. But that’s not the whole teaching of the Bible. Love is negative, but not only negative.

Who is to be loved in this way?

I wish it said family and friends. But, even if it did, I would have a hard time obeying it. I’m cranky at times. My wife might say, "Good morning", and I’ll reply, "What do you mean by that?" My kids will greet me at the door, "Daddy! Daddy!" and I’ll say, "Get out of the way!" Once a man came over to help me and I thought, "Is he here…again?"

It’s hard enough to love those who love you. But that’s not what the Lord tells us to do. He tells us to "Love our enemies".

The "enemies" He has in mind are not good people who’ve offended you in some small way. We’ve all been overlooked or cut down or something by people who care for us, but were having a bad day.

These are not the people our Lord tells us to love. The "enemies" He has in mind are real enemies! They’re people who "Curse, hate, and persecute" us.

He orders us to love them. That means we’ve got to speak kindly to them, help them when they need it, and pray earnestly for their souls.

Let me remind you here that "your enemies" includes people in your family you’ve fallen out with. Nobody will break your heart like a close relative who does you wrong. Yet he too must be loved.

The reason we’re to be so good to our enemies is because God is so good to His!

Luke adds, "To the unthankful". No one is harder to be good to than someone who won’t even say "thanks" for the good you’ve done him!

You should love evil and unjust people because God loves them. Whenever I say this, someone always pulls a verse on me (like a gun or knife!). Psalm 5:5 is the most common. It says, God "Hates every worker of iniquity".

Is that verse true? It is—"Every word of God is pure". It’s true that, in one way, God does hate the sinner, but that has nothing to do with our text! For the verses don’t say you must purpose to save your enemies, but to love your enemies in the sense of being sincerely good to them.

Is God good to everyone? Psalm 145:9 says,

When He appeared in human flesh, was He good to everyone? He wept over the city that rejected Him and prayed for the men who crucified Him.

Children resemble their parents. If a stranger came in today, he could pretty well match the kids to the parents.

That’s what God wants the world to do. He wants them to see the family resemblance between us and our Father in Heaven. Only Christ is "Express Image of [God’s] Person", but we’re to look like Him too. At least a little bit.

And there’s no better way to resemble God than to "love our enemies".

To help you do this, let me give you three pieces of advice.

The first is to Meditate on God. It is very hard to think of God’s overwhelming goodness while hating or despising or ignoring others.

The second is to Remember that you were once God’s enemy. Yet He very good to you, wasn’t He? What if God had held a grudge against you? What if He had ignored you? What if He had given you what you deserved? Psalm 130:3-4 says,

When someone does your wrong—maliciously wrong--remember that you too were "Once hateful and hating others" (Titus 3:3).

The last thing is also the hardest. If you want to love your enemies, Disobey your feelings. You can search the Bible for a million years, and you’ll never find a verse that says Obey your feelings! In fact, it says the opposite,

Do you want to witness more effectively than you do? Do you want people to listen to you and to believe in Christ? If you do, there’s no better way of reaching them than through Loving your enemies.

They can laugh at your words, throw your tracts away and avoid your church. But they can’t refute love. It’s the apologetic that never fails.

Now put it to work. And the love of God be with you.