Matthew 5:43-48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.read more.
Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, and do good…
Anyone else love to do good?
The commandment of Christ to do good is to go the second mile emotionally with those who are our enemies, to not just “not hate them” but to actually love them.
How do we as humans come to that place where we can actually love people who have hurt us, who oppose us, who hate us.
Lets start first by identifying what and who are our enemies?
What is an enemy?
There are 4 types of enemies listed below. for this lesson we will deal mostly with types 1 and 2
KJV Dictionary Definition: enemy
enemy
EN’EMY, n. L. inimicus.
1. A foe; an adversary.
A private enemy is one who hates another and wishes him injury, or attempts to do him injury to gratify his own malice or ill will.
A public enemy or foe, is one who belongs to a nation or party, at war with another.
I way to you, love your enemies. Matt.5.
Enemies in war; in peace friends.
2. One who hates or dislikes; as an enemy to truth or falsehood.
3. In theology, and by way of eminence, the enemy is the Devil; the archfiend.
4. In military affairs, the opposing army or naval force in war, is called the enemy.
Definitions from Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828.
With those definitions in mind who then are our enemies?
1) Your household
Matthew 10:36
and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household
2) Your circle or community.
Psalms 9:13
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble [which I suffer] of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
3) The world in general
John 15:18
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.John-1 3:13
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
What causes the hatred that leads to someone becoming an enemy?
A. Offences
Matthew 24:10
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
B. Your very identity because you are a follower of Christ
Luke 6:22
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company], and shall reproach [you], and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
C. Truth and justice breeds hatred and murder in those who do not want to hear it.
John 7:7
…me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
D, Jealousy
4 Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,
But who can stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4
Gen, 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
No one wants to think of a person as a foe or as an enemy but I have come to realize I do have those within my circle who oppose me, who hate me, who want to see me suffer shame or pain because I have offended them, or spoken truth to them or judged a situation and they didn’t like the judgement or were outright jealous or me, my marriage, my children, my career or my position.
I have had to admin I have enemies within my circle.
Most of us will do any thing to not create an enemy – and we follow the pattern to heal a relationship as Christ laid out.
A Brother who Sins
(Deuteronomy 19:15-21)
- Speak to the person alone
Matt.18 15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
2. Take another with you.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
3. Then speak to the church
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Even though with our best intentions, and our prayer, and even forgiveness it is not possible to heal a relationship so then accounting to the word how do I treat them.
Christs words seem harsh here but if you have truly tried-and no reconciliation was possible after following the Biblical pattern for healing then look how the Lord asks us to view that person…
Matt 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
So with that in mind how do we treat our enemies
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Separation
Ezra 6:21
And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,
2 Treat them with with love and kindness
Proverbs 25:21-22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For you will heap burning coals on his head,
And the Lord will reward you.
Proverbs 24:17-20
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Or the Lord will see it and be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.
Do not fret because of evildoers
Or be envious of the wicked;Job 31:29-30
“Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or exulted when evil befell him?
“No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in a curse.
The promises of loving your enemy
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”Luke 6:27-36
Luke 6:27-3627
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.
33 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.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.