![]() It’s hard to think of something more “like Christ” than loving our enemies.Who would have the opportunity to be saved eternally by His blood.Who came willingly and died for His enemies.Who aren’t new creatures in Him can do the same.There is nothing extraordinary about the natural response.The judgement His children deserved fell upon Jesus at the cross.The free gift of salvation is open to everyone.And that judgement is coming for those outside of Christ.The good He brings into the world is not exclusive to His children.Just or unjust, He makes the sun rise and the rain fall.And because He sent His only son to save us.But we have been radically altered, precisely because God loved us.And that we used to be the bad people in society.Let’s start with the fact that we used to be God’s enemies.“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” These sound like the kind of people we might hate.“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Let’s remember who we were before Christ.The One we follow loved His enemies first.God sent His only son to die in our place while we were His enemies.“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. “ “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Starting in Romans 5, first in verse 8….A few answers spring to mind from other passages.And the question might be asked right from the very beginning: why do this?.We will need God’s help, without a doubt, to do this.We’re really in difficult territory here.What’s more, those who persecute us are not at the top of our prayer list.And we usually do something bad, not good, to those who hate us.When people curse us, we want to – and often do – curse them back. ![]() We usually call people “enemies” because we don’t love them.It goes against everything that is in us.Just the very reading of the verse is difficult.But most of Jesus’ commands go against our natural tendencies.And it’s also only natural to hate anyone who doesn’t love us.It’s only natural to love people that love us.It’s something that’s likely to happen, and that you can likely “get away with”.The world around us, and our flesh say without a doubt, say hating your enemy is (at least) Ok.Someone specific may teach “hate your enemy,” but it’s usually more subtle than that.Now you may see why I called it a startling passage of scripture.But first, let’s read the entire passage…Ĥ3 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.Ĥ4 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 Ĥ5 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.Ĥ6 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?Ĥ7 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?Ĥ8 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.I think all of these answers are simple.Does Jesus understand what He is asking me to do?.How can it possibly make sense to love my enemies?.A person unfamiliar with our theme today may wonder, why should I do this?.I wonder if we are willing to do what Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-48.Something that is so counter-cultural, it can’t help but stand out.If we learn to obey, it can be a powerful tool.When we are tempted to react emotionally or unbiblically, it may spring to our minds.It contains a command we have to remind ourselves about when we are attacked or falsely accused.But Jesus explains it, so there is no doubt what He means.It’s startling because it so radically contradicts our natural instincts.There is a startling portion of what we often call the sermon on the mount.You can play, download, or read the transcript of this Take Note Podcast below. Why and how should we love our enemies and be perfect, as the Father is perfect? Jesus asks us to do a couple of impossible things in Matthew 5:43-48.
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