[1] #303, Love Your Enemies, Pastor David McIntosh, Sunday, 02-24-2008

Text: Matthew 5:44

INTRODUCTION

1. February, traditionally the month of love.
2. We have looked at loving the Lord, loving our neighbors, loving the lost and today is probably the most difficult love to activate in our lives….
3. To prepare us for Jesus’ Words today allow me to set the stage.
4. Do you ever wonder why God allows so many people to annoy, irritate, and provoke us?
5. Some understanding may come from the comparison that God makes between believers and stones that need to be perfectly cut so that they fit together, side by side.
6. Ephesians 2:19, 21,22 – “You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s household…In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to becoming a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
7. The phrase “being built together” can also be read, “Fitly framed together.”
8. It means an action that happens to us over and over again to change us so that we fit side by side perfectly no filler, cement, or glue.
9. A great illustration of this is found in 1 Kings 5 & 6, where King Solomon is building the Temple of God.
10. 1 Kings 5:15 – “Solomon had…80,000 stonecutters. (show stonewall fitting together)
11. Each stone was so perfectly prepared that it needed no further hewing or cutting after it was put in place for the Temple, it was finally “cut perfect” for its place.
12. Now, if we can view those that hurt us or are hostile towards us as God’s stone cutters (hewers) we can be ready for the next group of people Jesus commands us to love.
13. Matthew 5:44 – “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.”
14. Immediate encouragement: 1 Peter 5:10 – “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

WELCOME GOD’S “STONECUTTERS”

1. A reason Jesus commands us to love our enemies is that He has higher purposes for them than to just make our lives miserable.
2. The challenge with God’s “Stone Cutters” who “chip away” at us is that they are usually forceful, aggressive.
3. So our response is to completely close our spiritual ears to the message God is trying to send to us through them.
4. Often the message from God has to do with finding a better “balance” in our life.
5. We often live our Christian lives out of “balance” with the truth of God’s Word. We pick something and plow people over with it. Even though it’s truth, its truth out of balance; and truth out of balance leads to heresy. (religious opinion thought true)
6. God may be using enemies to send you a message, are you listening?

LEARN TO PROTECT YOURSELF

1. The story is told of a missionary who was making his way through the jungles of Africa, suddenly he felt a bite and looking down he saw a very poisonous snake.
2. Within minutes he would have great pain, swelling, and sickness.
3. But he was prepared for the attack, he reached into his bag and using an electrical shock he neutralized the venom.
4. When an enemy curses us with bitter, harsh words, it is like a snake bite to our souls. These venomous words will do deadly work on us emotionally unless we can quickly neutralize the venom.
5. We can do this by a heart response of blessing. (Bless those that curse you)
6. Blessing can be a prayer where you ask the Lord to fill that person with the qualities you discern they are lacking. (Patience, wisdom, understanding, kindness etc…)
7. “Cursing our enemies is like drinking poison and waiting for our enemies to die.”
8. I pray God give each of us the grace to neutralize venomous words by learning to bless those that curse us.

CLASSIFY YOUR ENEMIES

1. King David was traveling one day and a man was cursing him from a distant hill.
2. 1 Samuel 16:10-12 – “If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, curse David, who can ask why do you do this…Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him too. It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the curse I am receiving today.”
3. What an incredible response by the King. It shows us the first classification of enemy: ones we make because of our own failures.
4. Proverbs 16:7 – “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
5. Maybe with them God wants us to seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
6. The second classification is those who are against God and his purposes. They attack us because of our relationship with the Lord
7. Psalm 56:9 – “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.”
8. We need to humble ourselves and cry out to the Lord for His Spirit to work.
9. It is healthy to recognize if the enemies are “mine” or “God’s.”

BE MORE POWERFUL THAN YOUR ENEMIES

1. Proverbs 29:25 – “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”
2. Hebrews 13:6 – “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
3. When we fear man more than God we are spiritually crippled and our enemies become powerful off of our fear.
4. We fear what people will think about us, what will happen to us, losing our lifestyles, friends, we fear punishment, fear losing our lives.
5. 1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
6. Our fear of God has to take over our fear of man.
7. God’s perfect love for us will cast out unhealthy fear!
8. I know this story is extreme but nevertheless it is true (Pastor in Romania)
9. Matthew 10:28 – “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who destroy both soul and body in hell.”
10. We become more powerful than our enemies when we let the perfect love of God drive out the fleshly fears that live in us.

CLOSING

1. Jesus commanded us in Matt. 5:44 to love our enemies bless them that curse you.”
2. Who are the people in your life that you know in your heart you have an “enemy” relationship with?
3. I want all of us to close this service in an immediate act of obedience to Matt. 5:44.
4. Lift our hands, Lord I ask you to bless ___________________. Help me to do good to them and reveal your eternal love and plan for their life in Jesus Name Amen.