Today our paragraph topic is: (The love of enemies).
We bring chapter 5 to a close with this final instruction that relates to our enemies. In the previous lesson we talked about the law of retaliation. In this sermon Christ gives us instructions on how we are to deal with our enemies. He begins by referring to what has been taught in the past. He tells us that we have heard of the saying that we should love our neighbors and hate our enemies. He then gives us the additional instruction saying: "I say to you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you." He tells us by doing these things we will be children of God our father in heaven. Just as he told us in the Beatitudes that blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God, he is telling us here that we will be children of God when we perform these acts.
What does this mean?? Well, we start by loving our enemies, those who would do us harm. How do we do this?? Our normal reaction to our enemies is to hate them. Our normal feelings is to want to destroy our enemies because they want to destroy us. So our hearts are filled with feelings of hatred and fear and doubt and anger and destruction. This is not what God wants in our hearts. He wants us to have love and peace and power in our hearts. He wants us to not be afraid, to not fear, to not be angry, to not be in doubt, to not hate. We are all made in his image and likeness, so even our enemies still have that which was given by God within them. Even our enemies have the capacity to become the true being that God has designed us to become.
When we were on the other side, not born of the spirit and living in the world, we had the same spirit of hatred, the same spirit of fear, the same spirit of anger, the same spirit of destruction. We wanted to kill others, and harm others, and hated others because of the harm that they had done to us. Yet God continued to love us, despite of where we were. And he continued to give us the opportunity to change before the final judgement comes, so that we have the opportunity to know him. If God has done this for us, why then should we not do this for our brothers and our sisters, and our enemies, and for those we hate, and for those who persecute us, and for those who say false things against us? Why then should we not offer the hand of love to those who would do us harm and by doing so allow our hearts to be open to who we truly are?
The recognition of our true self comes through the love of others. For God is love. He loves each one of us individually and he loves all of us totally. He created us in his image and his likeness so we are his children. There are about 6 to 7 billion people on this planet today. Throughout all of history, since the beginning of time, there may have been twice this number that lived before us. If we try to wrap our minds around God's immeasurable love that loves all mankind, those living today and those that have lived before us, we may begin to try to understand the immense love of God.
Sometimes I think about the millions of billions of stars and galaxies that are in the heavens. I compare the stars and galaxies to the billions of people on this planet, and mankind is but a small grain of sand compared to the sand beaches on this planet, and yet God's love is large enough and immense enough, and strong enough, and immeasurable enough to love all of mankind and all of the stars and galaxies that he created. How great is his love??
There is no fear in God. There is no hatred in God. There is no doubt in God. God is only love. And if we can transcend ourselves to get a glimpse of that love, we will truly understand our destiny and who we are. As Christ said in this sermon: "You therefore are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
We bring chapter 5 to a close with this final instruction that relates to our enemies. In the previous lesson we talked about the law of retaliation. In this sermon Christ gives us instructions on how we are to deal with our enemies. He begins by referring to what has been taught in the past. He tells us that we have heard of the saying that we should love our neighbors and hate our enemies. He then gives us the additional instruction saying: "I say to you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you." He tells us by doing these things we will be children of God our father in heaven. Just as he told us in the Beatitudes that blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God, he is telling us here that we will be children of God when we perform these acts.
What does this mean?? Well, we start by loving our enemies, those who would do us harm. How do we do this?? Our normal reaction to our enemies is to hate them. Our normal feelings is to want to destroy our enemies because they want to destroy us. So our hearts are filled with feelings of hatred and fear and doubt and anger and destruction. This is not what God wants in our hearts. He wants us to have love and peace and power in our hearts. He wants us to not be afraid, to not fear, to not be angry, to not be in doubt, to not hate. We are all made in his image and likeness, so even our enemies still have that which was given by God within them. Even our enemies have the capacity to become the true being that God has designed us to become.
When we were on the other side, not born of the spirit and living in the world, we had the same spirit of hatred, the same spirit of fear, the same spirit of anger, the same spirit of destruction. We wanted to kill others, and harm others, and hated others because of the harm that they had done to us. Yet God continued to love us, despite of where we were. And he continued to give us the opportunity to change before the final judgement comes, so that we have the opportunity to know him. If God has done this for us, why then should we not do this for our brothers and our sisters, and our enemies, and for those we hate, and for those who persecute us, and for those who say false things against us? Why then should we not offer the hand of love to those who would do us harm and by doing so allow our hearts to be open to who we truly are?
The recognition of our true self comes through the love of others. For God is love. He loves each one of us individually and he loves all of us totally. He created us in his image and his likeness so we are his children. There are about 6 to 7 billion people on this planet today. Throughout all of history, since the beginning of time, there may have been twice this number that lived before us. If we try to wrap our minds around God's immeasurable love that loves all mankind, those living today and those that have lived before us, we may begin to try to understand the immense love of God.
Sometimes I think about the millions of billions of stars and galaxies that are in the heavens. I compare the stars and galaxies to the billions of people on this planet, and mankind is but a small grain of sand compared to the sand beaches on this planet, and yet God's love is large enough and immense enough, and strong enough, and immeasurable enough to love all of mankind and all of the stars and galaxies that he created. How great is his love??
There is no fear in God. There is no hatred in God. There is no doubt in God. God is only love. And if we can transcend ourselves to get a glimpse of that love, we will truly understand our destiny and who we are. As Christ said in this sermon: "You therefore are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Good evening, brother Solomon.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is critical for us to remember a couple of things when reading these verses.
First of all, Christ is not asking us to do something that He did not model a willingness to perform Himself. Christ suffered the cross for us while we were yet separated from Him. Furthermore, we drove the very nails into His hands and feet with our numerous and egregious sins. We were enemies of the Lord, and yet He loved us enough to suffer the cross and give His life so that we might be saved.
Secondly, we ought to never condemn non-believers that are lost. As you pointed out, we were once lost as well before we came to the foot of the cross. Though we rebuke the sinner and condemn the sin itself, we do not ever show anything less than love for the one guilty of offense. To respond to our enemies with hatred, vengeance, vitriol, and contempt is to do nothing but justify their enmity towards us. However, when we respond to their attacks with love and forgiveness, it gives them reason for pause and to question their own feelings, beliefs, and methods. It also gives them a clear glimpse of a strength that far surpasses anything the enemy can imitate, and that is the awesome power of unconditional love.
May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.
Your brother in Christ Jesus,
Rev Jason Thurwanger