1. Matthew 5:43-48

2. Love your enemies

3. Jesus went further: love your enemies
Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes – Antisthenes
Jesus went further: love your enemies
Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Disciple of Socrates said… Mature is that person who can profit from his enemies and listen when they point out flaws in his character. Jesus went further. Unheard of… 2 things: What is passage saying & so what does this mean to me in practical terms.

4. Love your neighbor, Lv.19:18 Jews (43)… Added: Hate your enemy
Personal
Asserted:
Enemy = Gentile
Pro.24:17
Omitted:
As yourself
Mt.19:19; 22:39
Start from point of love your neighbor. Words Jesus is giving quote from OT. Jews freely quoted it. They added to it… hate your enemy. Look at actual passage. Lev 19:18 Not mention of hate… Jews did 4 things to this, enemy is personal enemy (singular). Not national enemy. Asserted: enemy is your gentile (another nation) People of God ought to… hate those outside. Don’t be happy when an enemy falls. Sounds contrary to what we would normally do. Omitted, As yourself. Occurs 8 times in NT. Jesus told this to rich young ruler and also with 2 greatest commandments of law. Changed: neighbor to Jew (fellow), if they are correct. Supposed to, learn how to treat others.
Changed:
Neighbor = Jew
Lv.19:33-34

5. Who is my neighbor? Pro.25:21-22 Lk.10:25-37
4If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it –Ex.23:4-5
Pro.25:21-22
Lk.10:25-37
Answers “who is my neighbor?”
Shows how to be a neighbor
Illustrates Mt.7:12 (Lk.6:31)
Word neighbor carries meaning of someone nigh, near us. From bor peasant or farmer, from Boer war. S. Africa against British. Someone close to you. Not just lives but close to you in anyway. I’ll show him… I’ll help. Do good to him. If enemy hungry, hide? Poison? Not to punish, quickening conscience. Hopefully will save him. Luke 10, Lawyer tests Jesus. Law, nothing new to offer. Jew adds, as yourself. At this point Jesus just say Amen. Do it! Not good intentions. Argue for diff. reasons. Justify self. Get Lord’s inspired commentary. (good Samartin, we might say athiest…) Just do it! 3 things we see, Shows how to be a neighbor, not will I receive good?!

6. How to treat our enemies? (44)
Lk.6:27-28
Love: more than a feeling
Do good to: active good will
Bless: they call down curses on us…
Pray for: prayer kills bitterness
Love, based on feelings wouldn’t be good for enemy. We have enemies. Don’t feel a certain way but, be like this Samaritan. Luke 22:51, Jesus under arrest. Peter cuts ear. Last act of healing is for enemy. (curse) Acts 7: Stephen asks God not to lay sin to their charge. Have you heard about disaster and you know of someone that is happy over someone’s tragedy. Do we do this as Christians? Fill in blank, politics, brother, someone who did you wrong in past. Basic command of law… Approach people that hate us, them difficult. Pray for them: can’t feel bad about them and in same heart have a grudge or hatred. Either prayer will stop or grudge/hatred will stop.

7. Children resemble their Father, 45
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been recon-ciled, we shall be saved by His life –Ro.5:10
2 Pt.1:4
Don’t do what comes naturally
Purpose… Be like God. (Read- Matt 5:45) Rom 5:10- We were God’s enemies. We’ve been reconciled, he gave his son. Look at what God did for us. 2Pet. 1:4- React like God would react. We see what Jesus did. It isn’t natural. Supernatural. What is natural: give back double. God needs to determine out reaction.

8. Does our righteousness exceed?
46-47, if we love only those who love us, we do no better than tax collectors
More (v.20)
“One hand washes another”
Pharisees
Tax collectors
Gentiles
Sinners (Lk.6:32)
Does our love extend to the unlovable?
Have to be above Pharisees. Who is our standard? Just love myself if I love those who love me. (just love myself really, all about me) Easy to do. V.20, exceed Pharisees: Based on attitude of heart not on numbers. I would like that fellow, but he isn’t attractive. Were we attractive to God? We would realize how unattractive to God if He gave what we deserve. He loved us not with a great feeling… We might see a brother and say he is unlovable…weren’t we? What did we want God to do for us? Save us, do good. We need to do same.

9. Therefore you . . . be perfect (48)
Perfect: “pert. to being fully developed in a moral sense…God is a role model for unlimited display of beneficence …the goal is attainment of likeness to God” (BDAG, 996)
Ex.12:5, lamb
Ph.3:12, 15
Be like your Father
Lv.19:2, holy
Lk.6:36, mercy
YOU be perfect like our Father. Sinless perfect? NO, complete, mature. Doing good to people (beneficence) Perfect lamb, complete no blemish, whole, not missing body parts. We need to perfect like that: phil., not sinless, vs. 15… “mature”. Have a pie with a piece cut out, it isn’t complete. His sun rises… common blessings. Our patt. 23:34
Our pattern: Lk.23:34

10. Albert Plumber
“If a person does evil to those who do him good, that’s devilish”.
“Do good to someone that does you good, that’s human.”
“If you do good to one that does you evil, that’s divine.”
It calls on us to have that kind of love. If we take away one of these (God, family, brother, enemy) we are incomplete. Loose ability to call God our father because we are his children if you only mimic Him. We look like God if you do like He does.

11. II. The Practice (So What?)
I. The Passage (What?)
II. The Practice (So What?)
What does this mean to me?

12. Love always costs John 3:16 Enemy: can’t get even… My rights Gospel ?
Love costs. Wife(2 cost more), children all cost sleep, money, time. But it is worth it. God gave, it cost Him. Means to us: If I love enemy, can’t get even. We have a choice: My rights?! Doesn’t matter split up church, drive people away, hurt people, MY WAY! Another says I care about the Gospel. Obey God. Don’t let the other side win this battle.

13. Hate costs us even more 1 Sm.25:…26…32-35
We can avoid grudges, hatred, and retaliation (Ph.4:13)
David protected Nabal’s men. Nabal says he won’t help. David decides to kill all the males. Abigail learns and comes ahead vs 25. Nabal means fool. 26, David: 32-35, It’s a blessing to be kept from sin. David sees that hate costs. We can avoid with God’s help.

14. Avoiding hatred The Word Mt.4:1-11 Our example Ro.2:24 Prayer
Self-control
Ro.12:17
Our destiny Mt.18:21-35
Memory
Ep.2:11-12; 4:1-2
1.) Word: Jesus used word to avoid temptation. Don’t say I can’t help it. 2.) Prayer, kind of prayer Jesus taught, (12) > loose access to God 3.) Keep in mind, the cost. Hate enemy like burning down house to kill a rat. (Mt. 18) 7 times? Generous. 8? Cont… over 200,000 yrs., Just after receiving forgiveness, acts wickedly. 35=ME, YOU We can do all things that seem pleasing to God, but if we hold hate… Do we hate those that have a debt against us? 4.) Stephen following that example, consider our attitude 5.) What will we leave? Rabbi, black and go somewhere not known and sin anonymously. Don’t be concerned with sinning anonymously only… you’ll be lost Have Christians done these things openly? 6.) Think ahead, how you’ll respond, don’t let emotion of moment do you in. 7.) My own failures… bear, it is called to you! Show compassion to someone else. Ex.- driving 8.) Take time, Cool down... Far better than let heat of moment hurt you
Jesus’ example Lk.23:34
Time
Ja.1:19-20

15. God will judge our . . . Words (Mt.12:36-37) Deeds (Jd.15)
Thoughts (Ac.8:20, 22; 1 Jn.3:15)
God will judge and know our words against our enemies. Things we do. Thoughts, be careful. Remember love your enemies. View your brothers and sisters?