We are at the end of Matthew 5. There is still another 2 chapters to study in this Mount of Blessing series. However, there is a really important conclusion that Jesus is making here in chapter 5. Let’s start by reading the passage.
Matthew 5:43-48
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 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; 45 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. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
- The conclusion that Jesus makes at the very end is the title of our study today – be perfect!
- You see, in verse 48 when it says “therefore,” the conclusion is being made based on all that was just said before that.
Well let’s go back to verse 43.
- Matthew 5:43
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. - Christ starts off again with the words “Ye have heard that it hath been said.”
- Christ is dealing with tradition or normal human behaviour – at least what we have deemed to be normal.
- In the past of what we have studied, what was normal?
- You have heard it said that it’s OK to make oaths, even though we don’t intend to keep it.
- Also, you have heard it said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
- Now Jesus is saying, our normal human behaviour is to love our neighbours and our friends, but hate our enemies.
- That’s normal right?
But what does Jesus say in contrast to this and what does it have to do with being perfect?
- Matthew 5:44
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. - Love your enemy.
- How? How can we love our enemy?
- Bless them that curse you.
- Do good to them that hate you.
- Pray for those that despitefully use you and persecute you.
- Seriously, we have to love our enemies?
- When is the last time you have blessed those that cursed you? We might say “God bless you” to them in a sarcastic way right? But in our hearts we’re wanting God to judge them and pour out His plagues on them!
- When is the last time that you did good to those that hated you? At most, we just avoided them right?
- When is the last time you prayed for those that were your persecutors? Usually our prayers are – God please help me to withstand their persecution. But it doesn’t stop there, we usually go to other people and say – I don’t know why this person is persecuting me. I don’t know what I have done to deserve this. It’s easy to start and gossip isn’t it? We rarely pray for our enemy’s conversion. If anything we pray for God to judge them!
But what did Jesus do to His enemies?
- Romans 5:6-8
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.- The text says that it is even hard for us to die for a righteous person, never mind an ungodly one.
- But Jesus did it!
- When Christ was hanging on the cross, dying for the sins of the world, just having being judged by those that hated Him, look at His prayer for His enemies:
- Luke 23:34
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…
- Luke 23:34
- Jesus prayed for His enemies. What did Jesus say about them? He didn’t say that they were wicked. He said that they were ignorant – they don’t know what they are doing.
- It’s almost like Jesus is giving them an excuse as to why they were doing this. It’s like they are deceived and that’s the reason why they were killing Him!
- Interesting perspective to have. God, they don’t know better, please just forgive them.
- And it’s true in some sense because sin blinds us. Sin makes us do things that we would not normally do if we were in our right mind!
- So when people hate us and persecute us, we must remember that they have been deceived by the devil and they need our prayers just as much as anyone else. It’s just hard to do it because it hits home to us so personally.
But if we are praying for our enemies and those that hate us, what does Jesus say we are?
- Matthew 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven… - We will be called the children of our Father.
- This is the greatest evidence and proof that we are abiding in Christ and that He is abiding in us, and that we are His children.
- This is the fruits of the true Christian.
- But where else do we see ourselves being called children of God in Matthew 5?
- Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
- Matthew 5:9
- So consider this. We are called children of God if we are peacemakers.
- We studied in the past when we studied this beatitude – what is a peacemaker? To make peace between 2 parties, right? It’s like we are helping 2 groups of people to reconcile.
- In this context that we are looking at today, who are the 2 parties that need reconciling? You and someone who hates you.
- You don’t have a problem with that person, but he does. We need to be proactive in bringing peace between us and him/her.
- Now let’s go to another text in Matthew 5.
- Matthew 5:23-24
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
- Matthew 5:23-24
- A person has a problem with you, go and be reconciled to them. Make peace between you and them.
- In the context of our study today – LOVE YOUR ENEMY!
What is the illustration that Jesus gives about this?
- Matthew 5:45
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. - God is not partial. He makes the sun to rise on the good and the bad. He makes it to rain on the good and the bad as. On both! He doesn’t treat any other person differently.
- So the reason we treat people differently is because of how they treat us.
- So what is happening when we do this? We are allowing our circumstances around us to change us. We are allowing people and how they treat us, to make us to react differently.
- So what is Jesus trying to teach? We must learn to be the same under all circumstances.
- The way Jesus treated those that hated Him, was the same way that He treated those that loved Him. There was no preferential treatment.
- He would pray for the Roman soldier as much as He prayed for His disciples. His reaction to them was not different.
- We must learn to master circumstances and not let circumstances master us.
- How often have we allowed the rough treatment from others to bring out our bad language or the rough treatment back to them. And what is our justification? They deserve it! If they can treat a person this way, they shouldn’t be surprised then they are treated the same way back!
- We’ve allowed the situation to get the better of us. But Christ is telling us that that must not be so with the Christian. If truly we have been converted and living a life in Christ, we will learn to love our enemy.
You see, when we treat others the same way that they treated us, what sort of thinking is this?
- Matthew 5:46-47
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? - The publicans are just like this! The heathen! Those that don’t know God. That’s how they treat each other. This is how the world works. I will do to you what you have done to me. That’s fair, and that’s right.
- How did the Jews look at the publican?
- Luke 15:1-2
1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.- They called them sinners.
- Matthew 18:17
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell itunto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.- They were classified with the heathen – someone who doesn’t know or believe in God at all.
- Jesus says it the most clearly in Luke!
- Luke 6:32
For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. - You are basically a sinner if you just love those only that love you.
- It doesn’t take any sort of righteousness of help from God to love those that love you and hate those that hate you. The world is like that.
- Luke 6:32
- But coming back to Matthew 5 and all that Jesus has taught so far, look at this.
- Matthew 5:38
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: - Do unto others what you want them to do unto you. And what you do unto me, will be what I do unto you!
- Matthew 5:38
- That’s what we studied the last time. Jesus is telling us we can’t be like this! We got to change! We can’t take revenge against someone. We must learn to trust God that He will work out His purpose in His timing, not ours.
- What Jesus isn’t saying is, hang out with them like you would hang out with your best friend. Jesus didn’t mingle with His enemies like how He would mingle with His disciples or with Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
- Treat them with dignity and treat the heathen, the atheist, your enemy – treat them all the same way that you would treat your best friend.
So when Matthew tells us to be perfect, what does that actually mean?
- To be perfect in love.
- To love your enemies.
- What was the parallel to this verse in Luke?
- Luke 6:36
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. - Why mercy is so important? It is one of the main characteristics of God.
- Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. - God’s mercy is new every morning.
- Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. - God’s mercy is God’s grace.
- Lamentations 3:22-23
- If we show mercy to other people, if we love our enemies, they will be thinking why we treat them that way. We are showing them grace. We are treating them the way that Jesus would treat them.
- And from there, they might be converted. They might be won over to Jesus Himself!
Why is love so important?
- Romans 13:10
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love isthe fulfilling of the law. - If we love our enemies (not just our friends and family), we will not even think that one jot or one tittle of the law has been changed.
- If we love our enemies, we will be fulfilling the law instead.
- If we love our enemies, we are called children of God, we are peacemakers.
- If we love our enemies, we would be salt and light to the whole world.
- If we love our enemies, we wouldn’t be angry at our brother without a cause.
- If we love our enemies, we wouldn’t give an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
- If we love our enemies, Jesus says – YOU ARE PERFECT LIKE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN!
- And if we love our enemies, the world would be filled with the glory of God (HIS CHARACTER), and this gospel would go out QUICKLY and with great POWER!
- If we love our enemies, we would rejoice and be exceeding glad in persecution.
- If we love our enemies (NOT JUST THOSE THAT LOVE US!!!) Jesus would come soon to take us home.
What is the purpose of all these trials? What is the purpose for all these bad things to happen to the Christian at the end of time? Why will enemies arise to hate those that are innocent and that love God?
- 1 Peter 4:12-16
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. - The purpose is so that the character of Christ
How can we have this love today?
- We must go through those steps at the beginning – the beatitudes.
- Those are the steps to happiness.
- Those are the steps to being like our Father in heaven – to be PERFECT!
- Those are the steps that will allow us to see God face to face one day.
- 1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Throughout this sermon on the mount, Jesus has been trying to teach everyone the spirituality of the law. Not just its literal application.
- Matthew 5:17-18
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. - Matthew 22:37-40
37 — Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The law of God, applied to the heart, is not just found in obedience and doing all things perfectly and right. It’s about love. Love to God and love to man.
If we truly loved God, we would be a light to the world and the salt of the earth. We would be shining His character to all those around us.
But all of that is found in our love to man. If we truly loved man, we wouldn’t hate them, we wouldn’t lust after a woman in our heart, we would not retaliate and revenge, we would not lie to them and we would treat all the same – even our enemy. This is what the law does if we let it be written in our hearts and minds. This is what is meant by the spirituality of the law. It is the law of love.
Let’s ask God to write His law in our hearts and minds today.